Pep Guardiola ready to get rid of 8 first-team Manchester City stars in the summer transfer window: Reports

According to The Mirror, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is open to letting eight of the club's first-team players leave in the summer transfer window. The reigning English champions have endured a terrible title defense and will rebuild to challenge for top honors next season.

Jack Grealish, John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker, Ederson, Kevin De Bruyne, and Mateo Kovacic will be allowed to leave the club in the summer. Gundogan and De Bruyne's contracts expire this summer and City aren't expected to offer them renewals, while they are reportedly willing to listen to offers for the remaining six.

All eight players tagged for departure are over 30 and played key roles in the Cityzens' unprecedented success in the last few seasons. City will be looking to refresh their squad with younger signings.

Pep Guardiola has endured the worst season of his managerial career with Manchester City in the ongoing campaign.

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"When you finish 22nd, it’s because you haven’t been good" - Pep Guardiola on Manchester City's poor UEFA Champions League campaign

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola discussed his side's disappointing UEFA Champions League campaign after their exit to Real Madrid in the Round of 32. The English giants finished 22nd in the UCL's league phase and were drawn against Los Blancos in the Playoffs.

Speaking to the press after City were knocked out 6-3 on aggregate by the reigning European champions, Guardiola admitted his side had not been very good in the competition. He said (via Managing Madrid):

“When you finish 22nd, it’s because you haven’t been good. It’s the year we’ve been at our worst. We don’t have the rhythm that Madrid has right now. We wanted to pass a lot, and we conceded the goal so early... then the second... If you play a back-and-forth game, they are very good. I have encountered the best Madrid of recent years. They are capable of having long possessions, of defending, of running, when they want to go high, when they are low... Nothing, congratulations.”

Pep Guardiola's side are currently fourth in the Premier League, 17 points behind table-toppers Liverpool. While dreams of a title defense are all but over, City will be hoping to secure a top-four finish and qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League.

They are also in danger of ending the season without any silverware. Their last hope is the FA Cup, where they next face Plymouth Argyle in the fifth round.