The start of the Premier League season is just a week away but there are still over two weeks left in the transfer window. The Manchester City squad that takes on Bournemouth next weekend could look very different to the one at Enzo Maresca's disposal come the 11pm transfer deadline on September 1. A few City stars are facing uncertain futures, but one thing that is for sure is we're in for a dramatic few weeks.
Rodri to Barcelona and Enzo Fernandez impact
Will Rodri to Barcelona happen? Might already come to an end when the answer comes out, but if we do get Enzo Fernandez, does it affect the arrival of Bouaddi? From both financial and practical perspective?
Not really, they play different positions and are separate parts of City's transfer plans. It sounds like a phenomenal amount of money to spend because it is - £116m on Anderson plus potentially more than £80m on Ayyoub Bouaddi and up to £120m for Enzo Fernandez. That is not the sort of money that clubs can spend without any consequence.
However, the Blues are also set to bring in an enormous pot of money from player sales this summer. From the £15m they have banked to Manu Akanji going back to last year, to £40m for James Trafford, more than £50m for Tijjani Reijnders, over £60m for Rodri and potentially over £80m for Savinho. Spending more than £300m feels less like an outlier if you are bringing in more than £200m more in sales.
Grealish's future and Savinho's exit
Jack Grealish participated in team open training. Which side is his future closer to, Man City or a transfer? Is Everton seriously approaching him?
Maresca has stated that he could be an option for the squad if the transfer window closes and he remains at the club, and he has trained with the team this week. However, the plan is still for him to be moved on this month - ideally on a permanent deal but otherwise on loan. Everton enjoyed having him last year and have not closed the door on another move for him but nothing concrete has come yet. With Grealish now fit again after his long injury, things should start to speed up now.
How close is Savinho to leaving and will City get a replacement? Things have certainly advanced in the last week, leading to what the club described as an illness that caused Savinho to miss training this week. Let's see if he has recovered in time for Sunday! But yes, there was some progress a few weeks ago and then that has stepped up to bring hopes of an agreement close.
City are committed to replacing players who leave. The last I heard the club weren't set on it definitely being a winger for Savinho but given the importance of the position under Maresca and his appreciation for versatile players you'd think they would at least need to be handy on the wing. Pedro Neto of Chelsea has been of interest but there are others too that City have been keeping tabs on.
Korea tour and season ahead
How was Korea? It was f****** hot, right? How does it feel to be back in Manchester? It was hot - too hot! But still very enjoyable, and it is a country where so many people are so enthusiastic about football. It was really eye-opening to see how many people were queueing to get in the City pop-up store for hours even in the extreme heat and that's on top of the interest in the games.
The warm glow that the squad had in Korea has continued over to Manchester, albeit with the realisation that things are about to get very real. Maresca has his plans, he has set them out clearly, and City will soon find out how they will work in the Premier League. It feels like it should be an exciting season ahead, but there is also an obvious apprehension around the fanbase of following Guardiola.
