Guardiola admits, "It's all about the players we want and their options. If they have many, they'll likely look at the Champions League clubs."

"Maybe players come anyway, but others might not because of no Champions League. I haven't spoken to any potential signings yet, so I don't know."

"The club doesn't have separate lists for Champions League and relegation. It's better to be in the Champions League, no doubt about it. You have to earn it."

New Transfer Criteria

Guardiola also hints at a shift in transfer criteria, with player reliability taking center stage.

"The most important thing is to analyze who will be more reliable. If a player isn't reliable, we'll need more."

"If a player plays only 20 or 25 percent of the games, we'll need another player for that position. We'll have to make a bigger squad."

"More than the quality, as I have no doubts about that. Our squad this season has been exceptional, but we haven't had the fitness."

"All our key players are fit - Rodri, Stones, Ake, Akanji, Haaland. The team is exceptional, but we haven't had that consistency during the season."