England Under-21 international Delap, the son of former Stoke midfielder Rory Delap, made two appearances for Manchester City in the Premier League and spent last season on loan with Hull in the Championship, scoring eight goals in 32 games.

With three goals in six Premier League starts this term, he is not the only former City youth player to announce himself already this season.

Morgan Rogers, who scored against Ipswich on Sunday, has emerged as a regular starter for Aston Villa following a move from Middlesbrough in February, while Jamie Gittens, 20, scored twice in the Champions League for Borussia Dortmund earlier this month.

Both spent time in the City system, polishing their game.

Palmer continues to star for Chelsea following his £42.5m move in 2023, becoming the first player to score four first-half goals in a Premier League game on Saturday.

That is City’s biggest ‘B team’ sale to date, followed by the £25.8m Borussia Dortmund paid for Yan Couto, while Kelechi Iheanacho, Romeo Lavia, Brahim Diaz, Angelino, Jadon Sancho and Delap have all also gone for big money.

Players with connections to City’s EDS can be found across Europe’s top leagues, with Diaz at Real Madrid and Jeremie Frimpong at Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

Before fracturing a bone in his leg in August, Oscar Bobb, 21, impressed for Guardiola’s side during pre-season and looks set to be another star.