Manchester City are poised to cut more than half a million pounds from their weekly wage bill as four players officially depart the club today. Former first-team mainstays John Stones and Bernardo Silva lead the exits, with the experienced pair leaving the Etihad Stadium on July 1 following the expiry of their contracts.
Emotional farewells for departing stars
Both players confirmed their departures before the season's end, giving City fans the chance to deliver an emotional send-off after the final Premier League match of the 2025-26 campaign against Aston Villa. Stones joined from Everton in 2016 in a £47.5million deal, making him the second-most expensive defender in football history at the time.
The elegant centre-half went on to more than vindicate that outlay, racking up 295 appearances under Pep Guardiola during a medal-filled decade that brought six Premier League titles, the Champions League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, two FA Cups and five Carabao Cups. Silva followed him to Manchester 12 months later and swiftly won over supporters, netting 76 goals in 460 outings as he became integral to the most glorious period in City's history.
World Cup duty and divergent futures
Both players are currently representing their nations at the FIFA World Cup in North America – though their club futures look set to diverge dramatically. Silva has already put pen to paper on a two-year deal with Real Madrid and officially joins the Spanish giants today.
Stones' next destination remains far less clear, with the 32-year-old opting to keep his focus firmly on England's World Cup campaign before turning his attention to his career's next chapter. The other two players leaving City today are academy products Ashton Muir and Ezra Carrington, whose development was hampered by a succession of injury setbacks.
Financial savings and reinvestment
Between them, the four players are thought to have been pocketing around £550,000 per week, freeing up considerable funds for City to spend in the summer transfer window. According to The Athletic, Stones' contract at City was worth £250,000 per week before tax (£13m per year), while other reports have indicated that Silva was earning £300,000 per week at the Etihad Stadium.
Those savings look set to be reinvested almost straight away, with the imminent arrival of Elliot Anderson, who has been City's primary target to fill the void left by the departing Silva for some time. The Nottingham Forest midfielder, currently lining up alongside Stones at the World Cup, underwent a medical at England's training base in Dallas on Sunday, ahead of a club-record deal worth in the region of £116m.
Record signing on the horizon
The 23-year-old is set to be officially announced as a City player later this week, following England's Round of 32 clash against DR Congo on Wednesday afternoon. Anderson's arrival would mark the most expensive transfer in Manchester City's history, surpassing the previous record fee paid for Jack Grealish in 2021.
