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29 July 2026

Manchester City have already shattered their transfer record this summer and witnessed several high-profile departures, but further movement is still anticipated.

After a decade under Pep Guardiola, this summer is shaping up to be one of the most dramatic periods in recent memory at the Etihad Stadium. Enzo Maresca, Guardiola’s former assistant and ex-Chelsea manager, has officially taken over as his successor.

The Italian has made it clear that he will not “try to copy” Guardiola, although he would no doubt hope to achieve a similar level of success. There have already been plenty of changes as City and Maresca continue shaping the squad ahead of the new campaign.

Guardiola was not the only major figure to leave the Etihad at the end of last season. After nine and ten years respectively with the club, Bernardo Silva and John Stones also departed when their contracts ran out. Silva has now moved to Real Madrid, while Stones is set to join Inter Milan.

At the same time, Nathan Ake quietly completed a move to Fenerbahce during the World Cup, and Manuel Akanji’s permanent switch to Inter was also confirmed.

Even so, City’s biggest player exit may still lie ahead. Rodri is keen on a return home to the Spanish capital, and Real Madrid have admired him for a long time.

The Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder has been central to City’s recent achievements and would be a huge loss. The 30-year-old is due to be out of contract at the end of next season, meaning City could run the risk of losing one of the world’s best players for nothing if they do not sell him this summer.

More departures are expected as well, with Savinho, Omar Marmoush, Tijjani Reijnders, Mateo Kovacic, James Trafford and other fringe players all being linked with moves away.

Trafford is close to joining Leeds United after losing the number one spot at the Etihad to Gianluigi Donnarumma. Savinho and Marmoush, meanwhile, have both attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur in recent transfer windows. At the same time, with midfield additions being made, there have been suggestions that both Reijnders and Kovacic could leave.

Guardiola’s departure has perhaps created more uncertainty at the Etihad than at any point in the past ten years. In that environment, convincing top players to commit their long-term futures to the club can be every bit as important as making new signings.

With the clear exception of Rodri, City have managed to secure all of their key players on multi-year contracts. Phil Foden, Abdukodir Khusanov and Josko Gvardiol have all signed extensions in recent weeks, underlining their belief in Maresca.

The club will continue trying to persuade Rodri to sign a new deal. Even so, apart from the Spaniard, all of City’s leading talents are tied down.

City’s headline signing of the summer has already been completed with the arrival of Elliot Anderson. The Blues beat off competition from several rivals to sign the Nottingham Forest midfielder for a club-record fee of £116 million. After impressing over recent seasons, the 23-year-old England international is expected to give Maresca’s midfield a major lift.

City are also looking to add further strength in midfield and are moving closer to signing Ayyoub Bouaddi. The 18-year-old impressed for Morocco at the World Cup and would require a sizeable fee. City are in advanced discussions with Lille, and the teenager could return there on loan if the transfer goes through.

The Blues have already brought in highly rated teenage wingers Jeremy Monga and Mathys Detourbet in this transfer window. Nineteen-year-old Detourbet has already been loaned out to Monaco, while 17-year-old Monga is travelling with Maresca’s squad for pre-season before likely heading out on loan as well.

Several players who spent last season away on loan have also returned to the Etihad. The most notable among them are Jack Grealish, Vitor Reis and Claudio Echeverri. Reis and Echeverri have both joined the pre-season tour, although their futures remain uncertain. Grealish has not travelled because of injury, but Maresca has kept the door open for a possible return to the first team.

With Maresca’s squad currently looking somewhat overloaded, there are not many obvious positions where City need to strengthen further. One vacancy that may need addressing is the back-up goalkeeper role, assuming Trafford does complete his move away.

Another position the Blues could look at in the coming weeks is full-back. Their current first-choice pair, Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly, are both naturally midfielders and initially played there as makeshift defensive options. Although both have performed very well in the role, Maresca may prefer a more natural full-back alternative. Earlier in the window, City were linked with a move for his former player Malo Gusto, who would fit that profile.

Even so, it is still expected that there will be more exits than arrivals at the Etihad in the final month of the transfer window.