Only one Manchester City player has survived Pep Guardiola's first transfer window: Ilkay Gundogan returns

Pep Guardiola is on the verge of meeting with his first transfer as Manchester City manager as Ilkay Gundogan edges ever closer to a sensational return to the Etihad.

Gündogan He left City to join Barcelona last summer but due to the Spanish giants' need to cut wage bills and squad numbers, they will allow the German to rejoin City on a free transfer.

The decision to sign Gundogan was approved by Guardiola, which perhaps came as no great surprise given the 33-year-old was his first signing after joining City in 2016.

Guardiola signed 11 players in the summer of 2016 for a total of £184m, but only six of them ever played for City.

So who were those players, how much did they sign for and where are they now?

Ilkay Gundogan (£20m from Borussia Dortmund)

It speaks volumes about Guardiola's admiration for Gundogan that he was his first signing as City manager.

Guardiola evidently saw Gundogan as a pivotal player to help him implement his notoriously intricate and detailed style of play.

Gundogan went on to make over 300 appearances for City over seven seasons, winning an astonishing 14 trophies in that time.

The 33-year-old aged like a fine wine during his first spell at the Etihad, scoring 29 of his 44 Premier League goals in his final three seasons at the club.

With their former captain now back, he could be just what City need in their quest for a fifth consecutive league title.

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Nolito (£13.8m from Celta Vigo)

Guardiola added some Spanish flavour to his attacking squad with the signing of Nolito, who joined after scoring 39 goals in 100 appearances for Celta Vigo in Spain.

However, the left winger only started nine league games for City and scored four goals, two of them in his second game of the season against Stoke City.

His goal tally was also accompanied by warnings, having received three yellow cards and one red card.

Nolito's stay in Manchester lasted one season, as he was transferred to Sevilla in July 2017.

He will retire in June 2023 after final stops at Celta and Ibiza.

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Oleksandr Zinchenko (£1.7m from Ufa)

Zinchenko joined on 4 July from Russian side FC Ufa for just £1.7m and was immediately loaned out to Dutch side PSV Eidnhoven.

But he would quickly become a vital member of Guardiola's and City's team over the next five seasons, with his versatility proving especially crucial.

Zinchenko, who primarily plays as a left-back but is capable of playing in midfield, racked up 128 appearances in all competitions for City before moving to Arsenal in 2022 for £30m, where he will remain.

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Leroy Sané (£37m from Schalke)

Guardiola wasted no time in signing Sane from Schalke after the then-teenager lit up the Bundesliga in the 15-16 season with eight goals in 33 appearances.

His debut season was disrupted by injuries, but it didn't take long for Sane to recover and the German was voted PGA Young Player of the Year for the 17-18 season.

It wasn't long before Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich came knocking, believing Sané would be an ideal replacement for veterans Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.

A return to Germany seemed on the cards until Sané tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the 2019 Community Shield.

City did everything they could to try and convince him to stay, but in the end Sane only wanted Bayern and he finally got his wish in July 2020 when he signed for an initial fee of £38m.

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John Stones (£47.5m from Everton)

It was a hugely bold move by Guardiola to make 22-year-old Stones the second most expensive defender in the world at the time, but it has since proven to be a smart investment.

He is the only player from Guardiola's first window not to have left and remains one of City's key centre-back options despite being sidelined for extended periods from 2017 to 2020 with various muscle injuries.

Stones, a centre-back renowned for his ball skills, showed an ability to play in defensive midfield last season as Guardiola preferred a centre-back duo of Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji.

He will be 32 when his contract expires in June 2026, but given Guardiola has kept him at the club for so long, an extension may not be entirely out of the question.

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Claudio Bravo (£15.4m from Barcelona)

Guardiola wasted no time in causing trouble at the Etihad when he told Joe Hart, City's goalkeeper for nine years and an England international, that he was no longer wanted.

City's new manager did not believe Hart was capable of what was required of a goalkeeper in his system when he brought in Claudio Bravo from Barcelona.

However, Bravo lasted one season as City's first-choice goalkeeper while Guardiola shelled out £34.7m for him. Ederson next season.

Bravo remained at the Etihad as a substitute for three seasons before leaving in the summer of 2020 to join Real Betis.

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