Manchester City could be in for a busy summer in the transfer market with several players facing uncertain futures. The wait goes on for confirmation that Enzo Maresca will be Manchester City's next manager, but once the official statement lands, the incoming manager's first job will be to assess his squad for the next chapter at the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola's staggering success means following the Catalan is always going to be a difficult task, but City ended the last campaign with a domestic cup double, while they battled Arsenal for the Premier League title until the final week of the season. The squad is in a considerably better place than it was a year ago after a 2024-25 campaign littered with poor results and inconsistency, and City look well placed to contend for silverware again next term.
Departures and Uncertainty
But there is work to do. The departures of Bernardo Silva and John Stones have left gaps in the squad, while uncertainty surrounds a host of players who could move on this summer. City want to add to the squad and are working on a deal for Elliot Anderson while a second central midfielder and a right back could also arrive.
Any summer signings will need to add depth and quality to a squad that could see a number of players depart. Tottenham are exploring a deal for Savinho, while the likes of James Trafford, Tijjani Reijnders, Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmoush are among the senior stars who could move on.
Key Players' Futures
It means that City and Maresca don't have too many squad certainties, particularly with Rodri's future far from clear amid interest from Real Madrid. The midfielder only has 12 months remaining on his deal and while he would be in City's strongest XI when fully fit, it remains to be seen if he will still be at the Etihad come next term.
There has also been transfer talk around Josko Gvardiol, who is on World Cup duty with Croatia, although he is under a long-term contract and it would take a huge offer to prise the defender away. He has seen Marc Guehi and Abdukodir Khusanov impress and those two could be the future in the middle of the backline. That perhaps also raises questions around Ruben Dias, but the Portugal international is in line to be named club captain and is another who is more likely to be at City than not.
Confirmed Certainties
Nico O'Reilly and Matheus Nunes are set to be the starting full-backs, with Gianluigi Donnarumma assured of his future, along with third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, who has another 12 months on his deal and helps fill homegrown quotas in Premier League and Champions League squads.
Phil Foden is close to agreeing a new deal and will hope to recapture his best form after a summer off, having been left out of England's World Cup squad, while Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki enjoyed standout seasons for the Blues. Antoine Semenyo arrived in January and hit the ground running and Erling Haaland is Erling Haaland.
The first choice City XI is as strong as anyone's in the Premier League, but the summer is not without transfer questions as the Blues head into a new era.
City's squad certainties for 2026-27: Donnarumma, Bettinelli; O'Reilly, Nunes, Guehi, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Dias; Foden, Cherki, Doku, Semenyo; Haaland.
