Manchester City fans will bid farewell to Kevin De Bruyne on Tuesday in their final home game of the season against Bournemouth, but while all the focus will rightly be on the brilliant Belgian playmaker after his 10 years of service, he is unlikely to be the only player to depart the Etihad Stadium this season. A squad overhaul has been long overdue, and Saturday's shock FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace underlined the need for more renewal in Pep Guardiola's side after they splashed the cash in the January transfer window.
Bernardo Silva is one of the players who is likely to follow De Bruyne out of the door, and the Portuguese set the scene for his departure and that of others in a forthright post-match interview at Wembley when he said: "It's been a really, really bad season for us. Something has to change next year. I have my opinion, but I'm not going to give it to you. It's for the big bosses to decide. But definitely, something needs to change when you don't perform at this level."
Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson are other strong candidates to leave after falling below their previous levels this year, but one player needs to leave first and foremost: Jack Grealish has long ceased to be useful for Guardiola, but he doesn't just need to leave City in the club's interests - he needs to leave for his own sake, so that he can salvage what is left of his career.
