Manchester City are working on new signings, but several departures also look set to happen.
Hugo Viana is in talks to sign Rayan Cherki from Lyon, while Manchester City also expect to sign Tijjani Reijnders in a £60m move from AC Milan this week.
They should go some way to replacing the creativity Kevin De Bruyne offered in midfield, and Ederson also looks set to leave as Manchester City attempt to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Now, it seems Mateo Kovacic may also have played his final game for Manchester City after an announcement was made on his injury.
Why Mateo Kovacic’s Manchester City career could be over
Manchester City announced earlier today (Monday 2nd June) that the Croatia international has undergone surgery on his Achilles.
Kovacic, who Omar Marmoush admires, is expected to miss three months of action due to the operation, including the FIFA Club World Cup and pre-season friendlies.
With the Manchester City No.8 also involved in plenty of transfer rumours, he might have already kicked his final ball for the Citizens.
Atletico Madrid want to sign Kovacic – according to Rudy Galetti – and Manchester City are open to selling for a £25.2m fee, with clubs in Saudi Arabia also interested.
Should a sale not materialise this summer, Manchester City risk allowing that valuation to drop significantly, as the Croatian will only have 12 months remaining on his contract next summer.
Pep Guardiola is prepared
You can understand why Manchester City are open to selling the 31-year-old.
Despite Kovacic impressing at the end of last season, the arrival of Nico Gonzalez in February, and the imminent signing of Reijnders, are likely to shove the man born in Linz down the midfield pecking order should he end up staying, so Guardiola and Viana certainly seem to have prepared to phase him out.
While it would be sad to see the Croatian go, nobody can deny that a sale worth £25m would be superb business this summer, given the fact Manchester City paid that exact amount to sign him from Chelsea in June 2023.
