Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has warned that failure to qualify for the Champions League will affect their summer transfer plans.
The defending champions are bracing up for a busy summer following their poor showing this season.
They are currently in fifth in the table, and involved in a dogfight race with the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Aston Villa for the last Champions League slot.
Guardiola is expected to oversee a summer rebuild at the club with a host of stars expected to leave.
He has admitted that failure to seal a Champions League place will put their chances of landing quality players in doubt.
Guardiola said: “It depends on the players we want and whether they just have one option.
“If they have many, I’m pretty sure the players take a look at the ones in the Champions League, of course.
“Maybe players come anyway and there are other ones who say they don’t want to go because of no Champions League. I don’t know. I didn’t speak with one player potentially for the next season so I don’t know.
Man City spent £180 million on new players in the January transfer window and they are expected to continue the outlay in the summer.
The Spanish manager said he will like to continue his preference to work with a small group of players.
Guardiola said: “I have a big squad now and one or two players cannot even travel to Goodison Park and that is terrible, it’s awful.
“It makes no sense for those players, they don’t even go on the bench, they stay at home and wonder ‘what am I doing here?’ They cannot do their job.
“The most important thing is analysing who will be more reliable. This is important. If a player can be reliable, OK we don’t need more.
“If a player will be like this season, play just 20%, 25% of the games, if he stays, maybe we need another player in that position because he’s not reliable.
“The question is next season. If we have players who are not reliable, and they are going to stay here, we are going to have to make a larger squad. But that is the balance we have to find by talking and talking and talking.”
Manchester City have struggled to mount a credible defence of their Premier League title, having won it four consecutive season.
The Cityzens are 21 points behind table-toppers Liverpool after losing nine of their 32 Premier League matches.
