Man City £25million double deal offers clear hint as to what comes next

There has been plenty of churn in the Manchester City midfield recently, with Kevin De Bruyne's departure offset by deals for Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki.

Adding fresh legs in the centre of the pitch became a priority in January and Gonzalez achieved that, although the pace of change has been so quick that his own future is now in some doubt. Reijnders looks like Rodri's long-term partner, and Cherki will hope to compete for the right to replace De Bruyne.

But more changes are coming down the line. Bernardo Silva might be the club captain but he has a year left on his contract and has dropped sizeable hints that he will be on his way next summer.

Mateo Kovacic will be 32 by the end of next season and might start to find minutes harder to come by, while 34-year-old Ilkay Gundogan could yet leave before the end of this transfer window.

City could turn to the transfer market this summer to add more strength to their midfield, but they could already have solutions available to them as well. James McAtee looks set to leave, with the 22-year-old not quite making the grade, but younger signings Claudio Echeverri and Sverre Nypan will hope to be in the frame to fill a gap in the squad in 2026.

Echeverri has already made an impact with the first team since arriving earlier this year. He made his debut as a substitute in the FA Cup final and then scored an excellent free-kick against Al Ain during the Club World Cup, only for an ankle injury to restrict him to just 45 minutes of action in the United States.

City paid £12.5million to sign Echeverri in January 2024, with the youngster remaining with River Plate for another year. Now 19, he has more than 50 games of first-team experience under his belt and is likely to go out on loan this season to further his development, with the pathway currently congested at City.

After that free-kick in Atlanta, Pep Guardiola revealed that Echeverri practised his set-pieces after every training session. There is excitement about the Argentina youth international's potential. As an attacking midfielder, there could be a vacancy for him at City from 2026/27.

Nypan might have to wait a little longer for his chance, but there are similarities to Echeverri's development. The Norwegian, who was also signed for £12.5million, joined from Rosenborg last week, and his first-team experience is now up to 70 games.

The 18-year-old is set to go out on loan for this season but will train with the first team from Monday, while a deal is agreed. He might be a couple of years away from regular football at City, but again, his ceiling is high.

“We feel that he already has numerous standout qualities but that at only 18 years of age, he is only going to continue to improve," said director of football Hugo Viana last week.

For a combined outlay of £25million, the two teenage midfielders could one day form a partnership as No. 8s in the City midfield. With Gundogan and Bernardo soon to be on their way out, Echeverri and Nypan will hope a successful loan move this season will push them to the front of the queue at the Etihad.

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