Manchester City already took a significant hit during the summer transfer window, so the goal moving forward is to avoid taking any more.
Ilkay Gundogan’s departure might have a big impact. Pep Guardiola hasn’t lost a player like his former captain, but City have become accustomed to bidding goodbye to icons and have always prevailed despite critics’ claims that they lacked specific players in key places.
Gundogan is still playing the best football of his career and was crucial to the treble victory while players like David Silva, Sergio Aguero, and Vincent Kompany were all on the decline and it was time to move on. Although Mateo Kovacic has been hired, it is impossible to predict whether he will be able to replace the gap created by the departing player.
City demonstrated that they still want another midfielder after making a move for Declan Rice before being outbid. They do not see the Croatian as a clear replacement. There aren’t many apparent midfield additions for City to make now that Jude Bellingham is also taken into account.
Gabri Veiga, a promising Celta Vigo prodigy who is a touch more aggressive than Gundogan, has been mentioned, and the 21-year-old seems to fit Guardiola’s preferences for a midfielder. Otherwise, it appears that Kovacic, Phil Foden, and Julian Alvarez will share Gundogan’s responsibilities.
City must now take care to prevent the loss of any further key players, with Bernardo Silva standing out as the most significant. For the past three years, the playmaker has yearned to move back to continental Europe to be nearer to his family, but no suitable offer for his services has yet to be made. Paris Saint-Germain and Saudi Arabian clubs are heavily linked this summer, however they are a bit further away from Lisbon, so fingers will have to stay crossed that one never does.
Bernardo Silva would be a part of Guardiola’s ideal team, so hopefully he stays. Because he excels in so many various positions, a player like him would be nearly tough to replace, but if he left, a replacement wide forward would need to be brought in. Riyad Mahrez, who has also been linked with a move, is in the same boat.
However, City’s current top priority is defence. Both Aymeric Laporte and Joao Cancelo are expected to leave after becoming dissatisfied with their lack of playing time the previous season. The latter left on loan to Bayern Munich in January following an abrupt breakdown in his relationship with the Blues manager.
Guardiola has started to prefer a defence made up exclusively of centre backs, so it should come as no surprise that City is trying to add Josko Gvardiol to the group. City’s primary goal is the Croatian giant, but RB Leipzig wants £85 million plus additional performance-related incentives. Despite ongoing negotiations, City are not yet prepared to accept that figure, but all sides remain optimistic that a deal can be reached.
A successor for Cancelo would not be necessary given Rico Lewis’ promotion to the first team and the play of John Stones, Nathan Ake, and Manuel Akanji at full-back, but a full-back would need to be taken into consideration if Kyle Walker also left. Despite being reintegrated into the club in the final stretch, the 35-year-old also complained about his little playing time and publicly expressed his anger at not being given the opening in the Champions League final. Bayern has been connected.
Lewis would be the only natural full-back remaining for the team if Cancelo and Walker both went, with other untested youngster Sergio Gomez really being a converted attacker. It would be incredibly perilous to have so few options in that situation when Guardiola could just as easily decide he wants to modify his system once more. Walker should ideally stay, but if not, additional money will need to be invested.
Ideal City squad for next season:
Goalkeepers: Ederson, Ortega, Carson
Defenders: Stones, Dias, Gvardiol, Ake, Akanji, Walker, Lewis, Gomez
Midfielders: De Bruyne, Rodri, Phillips, Kovacic, Bernardo, Veiga, McAtee, Perrone
Forwards: Haaland, Foden, Alvarez, Grealish, Mahrez, Palmer
