Three Manchester City players set for the axe next summer as Pep Guardiola continues to chop his squad

Joe Hart has already left the club while Yaya Toure has been frozen out

Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy are out of contract in the summer (Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola’s overhaul of the Manchester City squad is set to continue next summer with three senior players set to leave after contract talks were shelved.

Full-backs Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy are all in the final year of their contracts at the Etihad and Guardiola has told the trio they must prove that they can adapt to his style of play or face leaving City in the summer, report The Sun.

City’s other full-back, Aleksandar Kolarov, has so far impressed the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona manager, with Guardiola hailing his makeshift centre-back performance against Sunderland on the first day of the season as “one of the best performances” he’d ever seen from a defender.

Zabaleta, Sagna and Clichy however have failed to adapt in the eyes of the new City boss and with all three being over the age of 30 and out of contract in the summer, the club feel there are younger players ready to take their place in the squad.

An Etihad source told The Sun: “There are no talks in the pipeline to discuss possible contract extensions for Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy.

(Getty)

“All three are out of contract next summer but all have been given a reprieve by Pep Guardiola to prove themselves this season.

“They are all over the age of 30 and with youngsters Pablo Maffeo and Angelino also knocking on the first-team door, City are biding their time.”

Manchester City Fixtures in 2016/17 | PointAfter

Guardiola has instructed his full-backs to come in narrow when City have the ball this season, rather than bomb forward on the overlap as they have done for the majority of their careers.

The trio combined have made over 300 Manchester City appearances between them and were regulars under previous managers Manuel Pellegrini and Roberto Mancini.

However, Guardiola has already shown he is not afraid to axe some of City’s senior stars after Joe Hart was loaned out to Serie A side Torino and Yaya Toure was left out of the club’s Champions League squad.