If Roberto Mancini can secure a new attacking midfielder, the 23-year-old Irish ace will be granted his wish, after telling the club last week that he wants to leave.
Ireland has not handed in a formal transfer request, and club officials will sit down with him in the near future to thrash out his grievances and discuss a possible move.
But City will stick to the same policy this summer as they did last year, with none of the first-team squad allowed to leave until replacements are in place.
City have been showing strong interest in Steven Gerrard, James Milner and German international Mesut Ozil, with the only bid being a £20m offer for Milner.
The Aston Villa midfielder remains a prime target, and Ireland and Nedum Onuoha could both be used as makeweights.
Villa are expected to talk to Milner in the near future, and Liverpool are understood to have also joined the race for his signature.
Ireland feels his future lies away from City after making just 16 league starts last season, 10 of them under Mark Hughes.
With an attacking midfielder high on Mancini's priority list, Ireland could end up being surplus to requirements.
That is quite a come-down for a player who ended the 2008-09 season as the fans' player of the year, and became the first City player to be named as Greater Manchester's player of the year.
Meanwhile, defender Richard Dunne would welcome Ireland to Aston Villa if his time at City comes to an end this summer.
Speaking as he launched the Football Association of Ireland's Goal to Work programme in Kilinarden, Dunne said: "He had a bit of a stop and start season last year after the previous season, when he was unbelievable.
"I think Stephen would say himself that he wants to get more games and play more regularly, and if that's not at Manchester City, he would be more than welcome at Villa.
"Everyone in the Premier League knows on his day how good he can be, and he would be a great addition to any side."
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fight for your place stevie you know it makes sense to stay here and be a part of the ever expanding club!!!
City have got to offload him.Good player but not consistant enough, or tough enough to take us where we need to go.
Milner isnt the answer to our problem of creating either.
Sad but good luck Stevie, we will always remember your underpants
Don't know whats gone wrong here, if he could sort himself out i still think he is one of the best box to box midfielders in the premier.If he went to another club for a new challenge and got his head sorted i really think it would be our loss. How we can have 20 million turned down by villa and only want 6 million for Ireland who is 12 months younger is beyond me
Be gutted to see him go.
He's got the skill and potential there. We've all seen it.
Its so strange how he couldn't repeat that this season. Why????
If City let Stephen Ireland go they will be making a very BIG mistake. We need someone who has CITY in their mind not another individual player who wants the glory themselves. We want a settled team and if Mancini keeps swapping and changing like he did last season we are never going to win anything.
This poll on the right hand side MEN is there not a chance you could put a NONE OF THE ABOVE button please!!! Milner showed last night how overrated he is. Gerrard is getting past it and Arteta is a nonentity!! Give me Stephen Ireland any day over any of them!!
Come on City you made a mistake getting rid of Dunnie don't make another one by letting Ireland go.
Get rid ONE good season in all his years in the first team squad. Another one that flatters to deceive.
Last summer I remember saying to my other half that I thought he'd be captain one day.
He loved the club, the fans loved him, he'd come through the youth system, he was one of our best players, the list goes on.
To think what's happened in the last year is nothing short of a joke.
I think his personality is obviously a bit fragile but its been handled very poorly by club management. If given the right treatment Ireland is a world beater and we're just about to let him go on the cheap.
If you ask me its a bloody disgrace.
Quite frankly i dont give a toss about Ireland anymore. Mancini put the ball in his court and he has responded with a transfer request. Talk about a loser mentality right there and not one we can afford to coddle and carry. 1 good season in 5 seasons for City is the reality.
And here i was, one of the most vocal backers of the guy after last season and demanding he got his contract extension (and spent on pink Bentleys and shark tanks). I feel like i owe an apology to the club for being so adamant we had a champion in our wings, a player we could adore and attach to our success. Boy, how wrong i was.
But then again, maybe i need to take the blue-tinted glasses off for a second because the signs were there all along. A guy who couldnt handle the rigours of international football (and the politics within the Irish FA between Dublin and Cork factions) retires from international football, personal comfort more important than representing your country. Unable to be a man and face the issue head on, makes up lies about his grandmothers passing away.
Then of course when Hughes was signed he took the way-out of criticizing Sven. He had a break out season last season under Hughes and had himself to blame for the slow start this campaign. Hughes was sacked, where his own underperformance contributed in getting the manager the sack, and then he had the nerve to blame Hughes for not playing him where he wanted when Mancini came in. Now he complains of lack of 1st team opportunities and wanting a fresh start elsewhere when last time i checked he's hardly been fit since Mancini took over and when he has been played (in his preferred position) he's look uninterested and been totally a waste of space. And then the game vs the Rags which would likely be one of his last in a City shirt was the icing on the cake, unable to fully commit for 10 minutes to mark a 35yr old on the other side. Then the nerve to blame everyone one but himself.
So Mancini says, be a man, fix your head, change your mentality and you can be a winner. And he as he has always done, has taken the easy way out. Not for the first time.
Good riddance, Lee Croft had more natural talent. And he'll will win just as much as him also.
For once i agree with that obessed Rag on here calling himself 'Sunderland Need Ireland'. They sure as hell do need him, mid-table mediocrity and loser mentalities go hand in hand.
Anyone who doesn't want to play for their place can go for me. Too inconsistent for me anyway, we need someone who can put the work rate in, week in week out. Looked far to disinterested when he has played especially in the derby showing no enthusiasm.
Superman has always been my favourite....but this last season ,that all changed....he certainly did not look like he wanted to play for my City,and in fact was poor on the pitch in both quality and effort....we owe him nothing except our support when he pulls on a City shirt....if he can't get into the team then its his problem....I personally hope he comes right....but I hope more that we win the League,and if Superman wants out so be it......the same applies to Onouha....I trust Roberto....
Sorry Stevie but there cant be any room for the old Ireland ,the slump in form suggests that your not focussed and thats no good for us
I think ireland is one of our best academy players i hope he wants to stay, the only reason why he dident play many games this season is because he trained to much in his own time he trained to the extreme and over did it and hasnt been the same since, he did get played this season but because of his overtraining he wasnt very good i hope he stays and gets back scoring, hes a loyal city player and fan who has custom made mcfc audis and other cars and even tattooed an egale on his back, i hope he stays.
It will be sad to see him go but then again we want the club to progress unless he can keep himself injury free which is always not possible with the English league.By the way if any city follower is coming to the world cup and you are visiting Cape Town please e-mail me clive@louiskarol.com or Evan_georgiou@equitech.co.za as we started a city supporter's club and would like to share city experiances with you around a braai etc at our venue which is Durbanville football club .
Clive from Cape Town
It will be sad to see him go but then again we want the club to progress unless he can keep himself injury free which is always not possible with the English league.By the way if any city follower is coming to the world cup and you are visiting Cape Town please e-mail me clive@louiskarol.com or Evan_georgiou@equitech.co.za as we started a city supporter's club and would like to share city experiances with you around a braai etc at our venue which is Durbanville football club .
Clive from Cape Town
I thought Ireland was an attacking midfielder? We need to hold on to this guy and play him in his preferred role, why pay twice as much for a similar player with the same skills.
I think ireland is one of our best academy players i hope he wants to stay, the only reason why he dident play many games this season is because he trained to much in his own time he trained to the extreme and over did it and hasnt been the same since, he did get played this season but because of his overtraining he wasnt very good i hope he stays and gets back scoring, hes a loyal city player and fan who has custom made mcfc audis and other cars and even tattooed an egale on his back, i hope he stays.
Do the deal but only if we get £8-10m for Ireland. If not he stays. We need to stop selling players under value. Dunne to Villa last season for about £6m was a joke. Lets try and be a bit more commercial. Ozil or Hamsik or Gourcuff would be good but in addition to and not instead of Milner. We need more and better options in midfield. We're not going to get the likes of Di Maria or Navas so lets be realistic and go for younger hungry players. Follow that trend with Boateng and Chiellini at the back and Aguero and Dzeko up front and we'll have a good team for years to come.
It would be a shame to see Stevie go. A Hugely entertaining and inventive player on his day, but just doesn't seem to fit into Mancini's way. However, his talents deserve to be used and he can't sit on the bench forever, so if he must go, so be it. However, he should command a decent fee, not be a makeweight for a replacement, especially if that's Milner, who didn't impress last night.
It would be very sad to see him leave. He is an enormously talented if rather complex young man. I think h is worth persisting with, though he'd have to fight for his place. I'd like to think that Mancini would persuade him to stay but I don't think that is going to happen. It looks like Stevie thinks a change of scene is best for him.
STEVE WHY GO NOW JUST AS YOU HAVE THE CHANCE OF WINNING TROPHIES
BE BRAVE AND FIGHT FOR YOUR PLACE, 1 COWARD IN THE SQUAD IS ENOUGH.
If you ask me if City want Milner a straight swap for Ireland sounds about right, on his day he is as good as Milner why is it city give players away
I must agree with many on here that Steven is not simply a victim of Hughes, Mancini, the club or anyone else. He is, in part, the author of this drama. Two years ago, when it looked as though he would be going to Sunderland, I wasn't particularly concerned. Then he had an excellent season under MH and I thought the "real" Stevie was coming through - only to see his form dip under MH so that he was no longer even a first choice, let alone THE first choice, and Mancini is less than impressed. Steven has seemed "unstable" for much of his time at City and now, for some reason, he is far from the required standard on the pitch. It can't always be the manager's fault - Stevie has got to sort it out himself, and quick.
Ireland is brilliant when played in the right position and system. Otherwise, he's average. If we sell him, make no mistake, it'll come back to haunt us. With all of the games we have next season, i'd prefer to see this get sorted out and Ireland told he has to stay and fight it out. I do have a feeling that the 'inner circle' of players that came up through the ranks together have all decided they want out, Ireland, Ned, Micah - none seem happy - SWP arguing over money - and again, I've never seen Joe Hart say anything positive about City, yet he never stopped using superlatives about Birmingham from the day he went there...I love to see our own lads in the first team but i'm very concerned as to why they all seem so unhappy - if we are to build a great side, we need a mix of home grown players and talent brought in - that model has been proven to work the best time and again - so in addition to bringing in talent, someone at city needs to focus on retaining these homegrown lads, and ensuring they are happy and focussed on being part of something special at City.
There're a lot of managers who can replace Mancini. But how many players who are really better than Ireland and Onuoha can we find?
Ireland and Onuoha are two best academy talents we've produced ever. Richard Dunne said last season this club could buy any player in the world but Ireland was priceless. The manager who can't make use of talents such as him should have been axed.
Such an idiot fan who says Mancini has a winning mentality will have to see his foreign players sit back, just endure opposition's attack and concede a goal last minutes again next season. I can't see what's interesting.
I can see Mancini will get sucked in the middle of next season. But before that, the club's academy products will be sold in the summer. So nothing would be left after Mancini's exit. I couldn't tolerate that. Vieira and Sylbinho... No hope and future. The club has got rid of their great academy instead of a poor manager and the elderly.
An ignorant manager has brought the elderly and hindered youngsters from developing. This was the worst thing this club shouldn't have done.
If City had beaten United, Arsenal and Spurs without academy products and got fourth, I would never have complained. But the manager has picked the elderly, gone for draw in must-win games and eventually lost the games. What can this manager offer?
So Why has this club brought second-rate managers only? It's probably because it's second-rate person who are charged in important posts at this club. They may have money but doesn't have knowledge and wisdom in football.