Pep Guardiola forced to sell FIVE players ahead of new season as club face punishment from Premier League and UEFA

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City face the difficult task of offloading FIVE players in order to comply with UEFA rules in the Champions League.

After a trophyless season last time out, City have been extremely active in the transfer market.

With new sporting director Hugo Viana calling the shots, the Blues have drafted in Rayan Cherki, Rayan Air-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, Sverre Nypan and keepers James Trafford and Marcus Bettinelli.

The likes of Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne and Scott Carson have all departed, along with youngsters Yan Couto and Maximo Perrone after spells on loan.

But City still have 32 players in their first-team squad and according to Simon Mullock from The Mirror, they need to act fast to get five out of the door to meet the UEFA squad requirements.

For the Premier League, because of the different homegrown and Under 21 rules, only one exit is required.

Pep Guardiola needs to trim his squad further. Image: Getty

Which Man City players are available this summer?

Clubs cannot have more than 25 players on List A in the Champions League and though Guardiola has made it clear he prefers having a smaller squad, there is a race to get rid of some dead wood before the transfer window closes on September 1.

Jack Grealish, James McAtee, Kalvin Phillips and Stefan Ortega are all available but the right offers, with Everton pushing to sign City's record signing on a loan deal.

Left out of the squad for the friendly win over Palermo, McAtee is valued at around £40 million and has attracted interest from Nottingham Forest and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Spurs are also exploring a possible emergency deal after James Maddison suffered a torn ACL which will keep him out of the majority of the season.

James McAtee has been identified as a potential replacement for James Maddison. Image: Getty

Goalkeeper Ortega could make a return to the Bundesliga, while Phillips has been linked with a second stint with former club Leeds United.

The midfielder is still very much surplus to requirements after a loan spell with Ipswich Town but his £120,000-a-week wages are a stumbling block.

Young Brazilian defender Vitor Reis has joined sister club Girona, who are also exploring temporary deals for fellow talents Claudio Echeverri and Nypan.

After a break following their involvement in the Club World Cup, City beat Palermo 3-0 in a friendly on Saturday night as they gear up for their Premier League season-opener against Wolves next week.