This summer has been busier than usual at Manchester City.
The Manchester club were one of two Premier League clubs competing at the FIFA Club World Cup this summer, which ultimately forced City to get the majority of their transfer business done ahead of the tournament, so Pep Guardiola could start integrating his new stars into his squad.
Man City acquired Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Marcus Bettinelli early in the transfer window, and it remains to be seen if Guardiola adds a right-back to his squad.
Outgoings will also take place, and one star on the fringes of Man City’s squad looks set to stay as Guardiola views the player as a new signing.
Pep Guardiola views Oscar Bobb as a new signing
The 2023/24 campaign saw Oscar Bobb have his breakthrough season at Man City, and having impressed in pre-season last year, the Norwegian star saw his progress derailed after suffering a serious leg injury.
The 21-year-old only featured four times for Man City ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, and many expected the midfielder to get more minutes at the tournament; however, the Norway international would feature in just two games, totalling just 59 minutes of action.
Nevertheless, Man City are not expected to let the youngster go this summer, as The Athletic reports that Guardiola is viewing the midfielder as a new signing, having not been able to call on Bobb’s services for the majority of the 2024/25 campaign.
“John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan, and Ederson all said they intend to stay, as did Oscar Bobb — which is less of a surprise and, in fact, Guardiola sees him as something of a new signing given what promised to be his breakout season was derailed by injury,” wrote Sam Lee.
Shaun Goater is one of many who have high hopes for Bobb at Man City, with the former striker labelling the midfielder as a ‘phenomenal’ talent last year.
Clubs will find it difficult to sign Bobb on loan this summer, but many other stars could be heading for the exit door at the Etihad Stadium temporarily.
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Nico O’Reilly could leave Man City on loan
The Athletic reports that three Man City stars could still go out on loan this summer, with Claudio Echeverri being the obvious candidate at present, as Guardiola is keen to get the Argentina star more minutes to develop.
It remains to be seen what happens with the rest of the youngsters in the Manchester club’s side, with the report stating that Nico O’Reilly and Rico Lewis could leave City temporarily for the 2025/26 campaign, in order to take the next step in their careers.
O’Reilly was used as a left-back last season, but the arrival of Ait-Nouri has complicated things for the English talent, while the return of Rodri will see the 20-year-old struggle for minutes in the number six role, which is Guardiola’s long-term plan for O’Reilly.
A loan move to another Premier League club would be a step in the right direction for O’Reilly, which would put the youngster in a position to fight for a place at Man City during the 2026/27 campaign.
