PEP GUARDIOLA warned failure to qualify for the Champions League will cost Manchester City big summer signings.
City fear losing out to Real Madrid in the battle to land £125million-rated Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz.
Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White is also a target to replace Kevin De Bruyne.
City are fifth in the Prem ahead of today’s trip to Everton and Guardiola knows results now are key to his recruitment drive.
He said: “If they have many options, I’m pretty sure the players take a look at the ones in the Champions League.
“Maybe players will come anyway and then there are the other ones who say they don’t want to go because of no Champions League.
“In the conversations with the club, we don’t have one list for the Champions League and one list for relegation battle.”
City fear Wirtz could choose Real Madrid if his Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso leaves to take over from Carlo Ancelotti at the Bernabeu.
Jurgen Klopp’s agent yesterday dismissed reports the former Liverpool boss could replace Ancelotti, who is set to leave at the end of the season.
City spent more than £170m in January but are ready to bring in more new faces this summer.
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But landing players of German star Wirtz’s quality will be harder without qualifying for the Champions League.
The City boss visits Goodison Park for the last time today clinging on to fifth place — the last spot for Europe’s big competition.
On Tuesday they host Aston Villa, who start this weekend just a point behind, with City in danger of ending a 14-SEASON sequence in Europe’s elite competition.
Guardiola added: “For all the clubs it’s better to be in the Champions League than the Europa League.
“But you have to earn it. Nothing in this world is taken for granted.”
City are without keeper Ederson today after he was injured in last weekend’s win over Crystal Palace.
Spaniard Guardiola added: “The most important thing is analysing who will be more reliable.
“If a player can be reliable, OK we don’t need more.
For all the clubs it’s better to be in the Champions League than the Europa League.
Pep Guardiola
“The quality, I don’t have any doubts. But 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.”
Everton boss David Moyes is eyeing his own summer rebuild.
Nine players, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Abdoulaye Doucoure could become free agents.
And Jesper Lindstrom, Jack Harrison, Carlos Alcaraz and Armando Broja are set to finish their loans.
Moyes said: “We’ll not wait until the last moment to make decisions on any new contracts — we’ll do it when we’re ready.
“But some of them can make it easy for the decision to go in their favour in their performances until the end of the season.”
