Premier League: Gael Clichy confirms his departure from Manchester City

Frenchman to follow Pablo Zabaleta out the Etihad Stadium exit, with doubts remaining over Joe Hart, Bacary Sagna and Willy Caballero.

Manchester City's Gael Clichy, right, is leaving the Premier LEague club.  EPA/SEAN DEMPSEY
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Gael Clichy has confirmed that he will become the second full-back to leave Manchester City this summer.

The Frenchman’s contract expires next month and he will leave on a free transfer after making 203 appearances since joining from Arsenal for £7 million in 2011.

Asked about Joe Hart, who is on loan at Torino, at a fan event on Monday, the defender said: “It’s hard, I’m not sure whether or not Joe will be here next season, and I won’t be here next season.”

Right-back Pablo Zabaleta announced his departure from the Etihad Stadium 10 days ago after a nine-year stay in Manchester.

A third full-back, Bacary Sagna, is also out of contract and expected to leave as Pep Guardiola plans a major revamp of his defence.

City are set to target two first-choice full-backs, with Juventus’s Alex Sandro tipped to arrive to take over from Clichy.

While the France international made 39 appearances this season and was an automatic choice for the final three months of the season, Aleksandar Kolarov, who has one year left on his contract, is set to remain as the reserve left-back next year.

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Tottenham Hotspur right-back Kyle Walker, who has been omitted from the Spurs side after his relationship with manager Mauricio Pochettino broke down, is the likeliest arrival on the left.

City are yet to resolve the future of four more out-of-contract players, with winger Jesus Navas more likely to remain as the second-choice right-back than Sagna.

However, the Spain international’s former club Sevilla have expressed an interest in taking him back to the Primera Liga, with their president Jose Castro saying last month: “This is his home for life.”

Goalkeeper Willy Caballero, who finished the season in Guardiola’s side, is waiting to discover if he will get a new deal.

The Argentine said last week: “It’s a big, big, big club for me, so of course I want to stay.”

Midfielder Yaya Toure, who said on Sunday that he wants to end his career at City, may extend the revival in his fortunes by getting a new deal.

“I want to go on until the end and the best way is going to be [playing] football with City,” he said after Sunday’s 5-0 win at Watford. “To be honest, to see me in another shirt would be quite difficult.”

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