#INSERT type:image caption:City manager Manuel Pellegrini may have to leave one foreign player out of his squad. END#
Manchester City may have to omit one of their foreign players from next season's squad if they bring in a centre-back from overseas to follow the signing of goalkeeper Willy Caballero.
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Premier League clubs are allowed to submit up to 17 non-homegrown players in their 25-man squads and City named 15 last season -- Costel Pantilimon, Pablo Zabaleta, Aleksandar Kolarov, Vincent Kompany, Martin Demichelis, Javi Garcia, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo, Edin Dzeko, Stevan Jovetic and Sergio Aguero.
While reserve goalkeeper Pantilimon has moved on, signing for Sunderland, the other 14 are still at the Etihad Stadium.
They have been joined by Caballero, right-back Bacary Sagna and midfielder Fernando, none of whom qualifies as homegrown.
City have been looking to add another central defender, with Porto's Eliaquim Mangala and Roma's Mehdi Benatia targets.
Neither would meet the definition of homegrown, which involves spending three years at an English or Welsh club affiliated to the FA by the end of the season when a player turns 21.
That means City could have to sell, loan or omit one of their foreign legion from their Premier League and Champions League squads.
Striker Negredo has been linked with Atletico Madrid, although City do not want to sell, while Toure's future was plunged into doubt by his agent's comments at the end of the season.
Centre-back Matija Nastasic, who qualified as an under-21 player last season, will do so again even though he turned 21 in March.
The only foreign regular in the City squad who is deemed homegrown is left-back Gael Clichy, although fringe players Dedryck Boyata and John Guidetti also meet the criteria.
Only four homegrown players -- goalkeeper Joe Hart, centre-back Joleon Lescott, midfielder James Milner and Clichy -- featured regularly for City last season, and Lescott has now been released.
Other English players such as Micah Richards, Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair, could leave the Premier League champions.