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Manchester City have been busy in the summer transfer market but must trim their squad.
Sean McCormick Football Content Editor 06:00, 26 Jul 2025
Sean McCormick is a content editor across our North East and Yorkshire football clubs. He was previously a Newcastle United reporter, a trends writer covering both the Magpies and Sunderland AFC, as well as a football content editor at the Manchester Evening News. He also writes about darts and boxing. He joined us in 2016.
Manchester City have already been busy in the summer transfer market, securing the arrival of five new players.
City have spent a total of £123.8million on the arrivals of goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri and midfielders Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Sverre Nypan.
It has left City with a bloated squad but Pep Guardiola is keen to trim his squad ahead of the start of the season by offloading some players.
With that in mind, the Manchester Evening News have taken a look at City's squad list and conducted a stock take to look at which areas could still see some movement.
Goalkeeper
City are currently well-stocked in the goalkeeping department but there is uncertainty over how their options will look next season.
Brazil international Ederson is the current number one, with Stefan Ortega operating as second choice. Bettinelli's arrival from Chelsea will see him assume the third-choice role after the summer departure of Scott Carson after six seasons at the Etihad Stadium.
Galatasaray are keen to sign Ederson while there is interest in Ortega, too.
City will have to decide which of those goalkeepers are sold after it emerged they are set to confirm the signing of Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford for £27million this summer.
Having sold the 22-year-old to the Clarets for £14million two years ago, City are set to re-sign the former England under-21 international after beating off Newcastle to his signature.
The Magpies offered £27million to Burnley but City had a clause in the transfer that meant Burnley had to inform them of any bids that were made so that they could decide whether to match it.
It is now expected that Trafford will join City and compete with Ederson for the number one spot, with Ortega being the goalkeeper they expect to leave the club.
Full-backs
City finally signed a recognised left-back this summer with the arrival of Ait-Nouri from Wolves, while central defenders Josko Gvardiol and Nathan Ake, and midfielder Nico O'Reilly, have proven to be capable deputies in the role.
But they lack a recognised option on the other side following Kyle Walker's move to Burnley. Issa Kabore technically fits that bill but underwhelming loan spells with Benfica and Werder Bremen have probably spelt the end of any chance of him making a career at the Etihad Stadium.
Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis have played there in recent times, while Manuel Akanji, Abdukodir Khusanov and John Stones are other options Guardiola can use.
Should City return to the transfer market this summer it will likely be to sign a new right-back, although a move for Tino Livramento, who has been linked with a move to the Etihad, seems unlikely this summer.
Centre-backs
City have got a lot of options in the centre of defence and it is a position where something surely has to give this summer.
Ruben Dias and Gvardiol will likely start the season as City's preferred pairing, but then that leaves Akanji, Stones, Ake, Khusanov and Vitor Reis competing for places underneath them.
Reis seems a likely candidate to join Juma Bah in finding a loan move away from City this summer, but it will be interesting to see how they would react to interest in Akanji, Stones or Ake.
Midfielders
Again, City are over-stocked in the midfield department.
Rodri's return from injury and the arrival of Reijnders would suggest that they will be in the preferred starting three, while Bernardo Silva, who has just been made captain, is also an option.
Mateo Kovacic impressed in big games last season but a decision may need to be made over Ilkay Gundogan, who is 34 and out of contract next summer, and interest from Galatasaray refuses to go away.
Nunes is expendable but in his case, and the cases of Lewis and O'Reilly, versatility is an important quality. Phil Foden is also an option to drop deeper in midfield if needed.
It has led to uncertainty over Nico Gonzalez's future, just months after joining the club from Porto in the January transfer window.
Kalvin Phillips is surplus to requirements and free to leave but underwhelming loan spells with West Ham and Ipswich won't help City's cause. James McAtee can also leave and is attracting interest from Eintracht Frankfurt and Nottingham Forest.
New signing Nypan is also expected to leave on loan with Spanish side Girona among eight clubs interested in the teenager.
Wingers
City have potentially nine options that only fit into two places in the team.
Bernardo can play as a winger or a midfielder and his appointment as captain shows his importance to Guardiola and the group. Omar Marmoush can be used as a winger, as well as a forward.
Savinho, Jeremy Doku and Foden are all clearly a part of Guardiola's plans while Cherki, who has arrived from Lyon, is expected to play a big role, too.
That means it's hard to see where youngsters Claudio Echeverri and Oscar Bobb, who are highly rated by City, fit in and both players could leave on loan this season.
Jack Grealish has been told he can leave City but has not found a move.
Forwards
Erling Haaland remains City's main man and is under contract until the summer of 2034. Marmoush has proven an excellent signing and he will be a brilliant alternative to the Norwegian up front.
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