TheCable

Manchester City have dropped striker Stevan Jovetic out of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) squad to make way for new £25million signing Wilfried Bony.

The arrival of the Elephant of Cote d’Ivoire international from Swansea in January meant City had an extra foreign player in their squad than UEFA allows for their competition.

And the decision by manager Manuel Pellegrini to omit Jovetic, who has only started 18 games in 19 injury-hit months at the Etihad Stadium, is likely to prompt suggestions he will leave the club in the summer.

As part of their punishment for failing Financial Fair Play, City were only allowed to name 16 senior players who do not qualify as homegrown in their games in Europe.

City registered 16 for the group stages but the addition of striker Bony meant they faced an awkward decision.

Left-back Gael Clichy, who qualifies as homegrown, and centre-back Dedryck Boyata, who is deemed a club-trained player, do not come under the foreign quota.

City’s 16 foreigners in their squad are: Willy Caballero, Bacary Sagna, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Martin Demichelis, Eliaquim Mangala, Aleksandar Kolarov, Fernando, Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, Jesus Navas, Samir Nasri, David Silva, Edin Dzeko, Wilfried Bony, and Sergio Aguero.

Jovetic, 25, cost the Citizens £22 million when he joined from Fiorentina in 2013 but did not feature in the Champions League last season and has not scored in the current campaign.

The champions of England host Barcelona in the first leg of their first knockout round tie on February 24 and travel to the Camp Nou three weeks later.