Manchester City has already started planning for the era after Pep Guardiola. The departure of the Spanish coach, confirmed for the end of the season, represents the end of the most successful period in the club’s history and opens space for a profound overhaul of the squad.
Guardiola’s farewell will not be the only relevant change at the Etihad Stadium. The club has already confirmed that it will not renew the contracts of Bernardo Silva and John Stones, putting an end to nine and ten year trajectories, respectively, with the Citizens shirt.
According to The Athletic, sporting director Hugo Viana is working on a broad restructuring of the squad, with several players having an uncertain future in Manchester. Among those mentioned are Nico González, Rico Lewis, Tijjani Reijnders, Omar Marmoush, Mateo Kovacic, James Trafford and Nathan Aké.
The case draws attention mainly due to recent investments. Nico González, Marmoush and Reijnders arrived at the club in recent years for high prices and together cost around 187 million euros — approximately R$1.12 billion.
Even so, none of them are treated as non-negotiable in the new project. The situation of veterans Kovacic and Aké appears to be even more sensitive. Both are entering the final year of their contracts and can be traded to avoid a free exit in the future.
The uncertainties also affect players trained at the club itself. Rico Lewis and James Trafford, considered for years as symbols of City’s new generation, are among those who could look for new opportunities.
Trafford, for example, returned to the club for more than 30 million euros (R$180 million), but lost space after the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma and returned to reserve status.
According to the publication, Rúben Dias and Josko Gvardiol also arouse interest in the market. Although City do not intend to trade them, both have been linked to major European clubs.
The Portuguese, one of the leaders of the squad, was associated with Real Madrid, especially after the arrival of José Mourinho as coach of the Spanish team. Gvardiol, which cost around 90 million euros (R$540 million) in 2023, appears on the radar of Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Another name that causes concern behind the scenes is Rodri. Winner of the Ballon d’Or last season, the Spanish midfielder only has a contract until 2027 and continues to be identified as a priority target for Real Madrid. While he avoids talking about the topic during the World Cup, the midfielder’s future remains open.
With the likely arrival of Enzo Maresca to replace Guardiola and an extensive list of pending decisions, Hugo Viana will face one of the most important transfer windows in Manchester City’s recent history.
