Overview
- Mateo Kovacic confirmed he will stay with Manchester City for the 2026–27 season and Nico Gonzalez told reporters he does not want to leave, statements reported on Thursday that narrow Maresca’s immediate midfield choices.
- Manchester City are progressing talks to sign Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and plan to pursue the move regardless of which players depart.
- Tijjani Reijnders is widely expected to leave after one season, with reported interest from Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and Galatasaray.
- Rodri’s future remains unsettled with links to Barcelona and Real Madrid, leaving City to consider potential replacements if he moves on.
- City have paused plans for an external right‑back in favor of internal options such as Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis, while James Trafford is set to join Leeds, Marseille’s Geronimo Rulli is a target for the No.2 goalkeeper role, and Jeremy Doku’s new contract awaits formal confirmation when he returns from holiday.