Manchester City Transfer DealSheet: Guimaraes wanted; Bernardo and De Bruyne futures? (2024)

You can always be sure Manchester City will be involved in some big transfers during a summer and, despite a quiet start to the window, that is going to be the case again in 2024.

It is tumbleweeds in the sense that news of City having agreed personal terms with incoming players normally leaks out in the April and May, but here we are almost a week into June with just a few names in the hat so far, and nothing particularly pressing at the moment.

A lot of City’s business will be dictated by anybody who leaves, and with Ederson, Stefan Ortega, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne among those attracting serious interest, plus the usual sell-off of some highly-rated youngsters, there will be spaces to fill and money to spend.

Get the latest transfer news on The Athletic…

• Transfer news and analysis | Follow David Ornstein
• Join The Athletic Insiders WhatsApp channel
• Sign up for The Athletic FC newsletter

What positions are City looking at this summer?

Midfield is a main area of concern, largely due to the uncertainty attached to two of their key players. Bernardo Silva is set for another summer of speculation, although it is difficult to see a likely destination for him this time, and Kevin De Bruyne is in the sights of Saudi Arabia’s Pro League, as well as being open to a move to MLS either this summer or next.

A right-winger is on the agenda too, considering that is where they intended Jeremy Doku to play when they signed him last summer, only to see him thrive on the opposite flank.

City have also been looking at goalkeepers, but that was initially based on the idea that Stefan Ortega would leave and they would need a new backup, but now there is uncertainty over first-choice Ederson, who was previously expected to sign a new contract but is now considering a Saudi offer.

Other areas are seemingly departure-dependent: for example, if Julian Alvarez were to leave they would have to look to replace his goal threat in the final third. The same for Kyle Walker at right-back, given his links to Saudi Arabia, although he seems more likely to stay.

Which players are they looking at?

Bruno Guimaraes has a release clause at Newcastle worth £100million. City had a look at Jamal Musiala but that seems too difficult to pull off. There has also been interest shown in his Bayern Munich team-mate Joshua Kimmich.

Jeremie Frimpong, who left City for Celtic as a teenager in summer 2019 and is now thriving at Bayer Leverkusen, could be of interest if Walker were to leave, but Bayern are among other clubs interested in him.

Real Madrid’s Rodrygo has been linked with City in Spain, although that is seemingly something that appeals more to the player himself than the Etihad Stadium top brass at this moment in time.

What moves have City made already?

A deal for Savio has already been agreed with French sister club Troyes, having impressed while on loan at another Spanish sister club Girona. It is still possible that the young winger stays with Girona for another season, however.

Who will make the key decisions this summer?

Although there has been some speculation, Txiki Begiristain is still the sporting director and will call the shots. City work as a sort of panel regarding transfers, with all signings agreed by the money men and manager Pep Guardiola, but Begiristain does push certain players and convince the rest of their merits when he sees fit, which was the case with Doku a year ago.

Carlos Raphael Moersen, known as Rafi around the club, has stepped up to help Begiristain with negotiations since the departure of Manchester United-bound Omar Berrada. Begiristain’s own future might come into sharper focus during the next year.

Who will they be looking to sell?

Kalvin Phillips is an obvious one. And so is Joao Cancelo when you think about it. Cancelo has been off the radar at the Etihad for 18 months having had loans at Bayern and Barcelona, but nobody seems willing to match what City are asking and so it will be a struggle to find a new home for him. It may be another loan or a move to Saudi Arabia, if he is open to that. Ortega had been expected to leave having failed to agree a new contract amid a desire for more regular first-team football but an opportunity might open up at City, depending on Ederson’s summer.

Last summer, City blocked Ortega’s move to Bayern as it was too late in the window, so it is likely that they will want clarity soon. They have made it clear to Ederson how much he is valued and their new contract offer is still on the table.

Nobody else is ‘on the market’, but City would listen to serious offers for players who want to go, providing they do not come too late in the window. Matheus Nunes, for example, could go just a year after signing from Wolves if an offer arrives but there is seemingly a small market for him.

Which players’ contracts are expiring? Who is expected to renew?

Ortega’s three-year contract expires next summer, which is why City had talks earlier this season to try to get him to sign a new one. That is why City generally look to get players signed up to new deals well before they get within two years of the expiry date, because then the power begins to transfer to the player. Ortega only signed a three-year deal in the first place but those who signed four, five and six-year ones generally get approached with between two to three years left.

As such, City have nobody with a contract expiring this summer. Scott Carson, the popular third-choice goalkeeper who signs rolling one-year deals every summer and is now 38 years old, was due to be out of contract but signed an extension. De Bruyne’s deal is up next summer but everybody else is tied to the club until 2026 at least.

What might happen first?

Other than Savio, which is all sorted, it is hard to say. The deadline of Guimaraes’ release clause might speed things along, even if interested teams do not pay the full amount. As mentioned, many of the potential deals involving City are dependent on outgoings, so things may take a while to develop.

What is their PSR position?

No surprise that City do not have too many worries here. Not necessarily because they are wildly rich but because they always manage to sell academy graduates for top dollar; they have earned around £150million just from that in the past two summers.

This year, they are already going to receive £20million for centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis after his promotion to the Premier League with Southampton. James McAtee could net them another £20m, and no doubt there will be others, given clubs are willing to buy players who have not had much, or any, first-team experience under Guardiola.

City have also brought in plenty through sales of senior players over the past few seasons, from Ferran Torres and Angelino three years ago to Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko in 2022, to Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte last summer.

They do like to stick to their valuations on incoming players, too, so while they certainly can and will spend upwards of £70million on a player, they try to drive a hard bargain even with those high-priced names, and will walk away if they cannot get the other party to budge, even on top targets.

TL;DR: they don’t have to worry.

What do they have to do before June 30?

Nothing in particular.

What sort of budget do they have?

City have not had a massive splurge since 2017, when they made moves to rejuvenate the squad. Guardiola had been told before arriving in summer 2016 that the team would be remodelled after his debut season but in the end that job was split up over two windows. Since then, City have spent a maximum of about £150million on first-team players per summer between 2018 and 2022, if we include the add-ons for Erling Haaland.

Last summer they moved that up to around £180million, with over £100m coming in from sales. As a rough estimate, they could spend between £150m and £200m before the August 30 deadline if things add up, in terms of outgoings and bringing in top targets.

What is the manager’s priority?

Getting their business done early! And keeping Bernardo Silva for yet another season, at least, would be a massive bonus. He and De Bruyne would be very difficult to replace, given their knowledge of the setup and their major contributions, so either keeping them or resolving their futures quickly and bringing in their replacements soon after would be a huge help.

Last summer’s business dragged on until the end of the window because things did not go to plan. City did not bring in players who were ready to put in the type of performances of players such as Ilkay Gundogan and Mahrez straight away, although there is hope they will do so going forwards and, ultimately, it did not affect them too much anyway over the course of the season.

But a smooth summer would be ideal for Guardiola as he prepares for what it seems will be, right now at least, his final season as City manager.

(Top photo: Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images)

Sam Lee is the Manchester City correspondent for The Athletic. The 2020-21 campaign will be his sixth following the club, having previously held other positions with Goal and the BBC, and freelancing in South America. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamLee