Midfielder Gelson Fernandes has left the club and joined St Etienne for an undisclosed fee.
The Swiss international was signed by former manager Sven Goran Eriksson in July 2007 from FC Sion. In total, Fernandes made 59 appearances for the club, scoring four times.
Fernandes could not hold down a regular place in the City side and the arrival of Gareth Barry would have seen the 22 year old fall further down the pecking order.