PEP Guardiola admits he did not want to sell Riyad Mahrez this summer but says the club could not turn down Al-Ahli's lucrative offer for him.
The 32-year-old was not included in City's travelling squad for their pre-season trip to Asia and formally completed his exit on Friday.
City accepted an fee which could rise to £30million for the winger, a deal they felt was too good to turn down for a player that didn't start every week.
In an ideal world, they might have kept him though and Guardiola admits he would have been more than happy for Mahrez to stay.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 30, 2023-Ausgabe von MEN on Sunday.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 30, 2023-Ausgabe von MEN on Sunday.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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Defensive pair still out with Rico return likely
MANCHESTER City travel to Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Sunday seeking to bounce back from their late collapse at Brentford.
This is my gift...
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FACE THE FUTURE
We round up five fabulous finds from this year's Consumer Electronics Show
JILL'S COFFEE BAR ON THE WRIGHT TRACK
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Maria was the therapy I didn't realise I needed
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Law gave fans the time of their lives
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Two teens in custody after 16-year-old stabbed
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PSG star signing won't be available for City showdown
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Curious case of a 48-hour art heist
IT'S a Sunday morning, just before noon, and staff at Manchester's Whitworth Art Gallery are about to open up for the day when a barely believable discovery is made.
February games are chosen for TV coverage
MANCHESTER City's FA Cup trip to Leyton Orient and Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur in February have been chosen for TV coverage.
