Pep Guardiola says he is happy to play Russian Roulette over his out-of-contract Manchester City stars
Etihad chief plays it cool as talks with stars like Yaya Toure, Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna go on hold for rest of season
PEP GUARDIOLA says he is happy to play Russian Roulette over the future of Yaya Toure and Manchester City’s other out of contract stars.
Toure is one of six senior players whose deals expire in the summer – along with Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Jesus Navas, Gael Clichy and Willy Caballero.
However, Guardiola and City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain have put all talks over fresh contracts on hold until the end of the season.
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That means they can agree terms with other clubs on the continent in the meantime and City could end up missing out.
Yet Pep has challenged them all to show they are worthy of extending their stay at the Etihad.
The Spaniard said: “Am I comfortable taking the risk? Yes.
“I don’t speak with the agents, I speak with Txiki Begiristain. So I don’t know if they speak, maybe they can speak because the agents job is to do that.
“We’ll make a decision at the end of the season. They have to try to keep going, to convince me every day.
“There are five, six players out of contract but they know the situation.
“Of course there is a risk, maybe they can sign a contract for another club and we have to accept that. But we are going to decide in the last months of the season.”
Meanwhile skipper Vincent Kompany is back in contention for the trip to Sunderland on Sunday after his latest leg injury.
Guardiola is keeping his fingers crossed the skipper will be available for what is likely to be a busy end to the season.
He said: “It must not be easy for Vincent, I understand completely, because what happened was in the training session, it was nothing, it was not serious.
“He’s in the last process, on Thursday he trained with us, his first training session, he’s ready to come back.
“Since the last injury [at Palace] he was one month, a month and a half, fit. Of course he didn’t play because it was my decision but he was fit.
“Hopefully he’ll help us in the last two to three months of the season.”