Manchester City’s summer transfer focus has shifted from buying to selling – a bloated squad demands urgent trimming, with Jack Grealish emerging as a potential target for Everton, whose future could become clearer in August.
Despite splashing £150m on signings like Sergi and Reijnders this summer, and boasting robust finances (￡715m annual revenue plus a 10-year, ￡1bn Puma deal), City need to cut their ￡422m wage bill. With 27 players in their US tour squad – excluding Grealish, James McAtee and injured Mateo Kovacic – new football director Luis Viana’s top task is to slim down the roster.
Among those likely to leave: Stefan Ortega, eager for first-team football, has attracted interest from Premier League clubs; youngsters like Npan, Reis and Echeverri may be loaned out. Nottingham Forest’s ￡25m bid for McAtee was rejected, but Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig remain keen (a sale would include a buyback clause). Ederson is set to stay barring a blockbuster offer.
Grealish’s future is the biggest talking point: Everton see him as a “statement signing”, with Napoli also interested, and clarity may come in August. Elsewhere, Kalvin Phillips is recovering from Achilles surgery, Ilkay Gündogan is wanted by Galatasaray, and Kovacic has multiple suitors. Youth products like Enda and Simpson-Pusey will finalize moves soon.
City aren’t rushing to sign a right-back but could pounce on a good deal, yet their immediate focus remains trimming the overloaded squad.
