Man City summer transfer news, odds and predicted Pep Guardiola line-ups
Pep Guardiola is preparing for another Premier League title defence for what may be the final time.
The Spaniard has transformed Manchester City into an all-conquering force, winning their English-record fourth straight top-flight title last season, just a year on from completing the treble. However, rumours are surfacing that Guardiola will depart at the end of next season, making it perhaps the most important of his reign. What state will Guardiola leave the club in? What will be his on-field legacy?
The champions have made just one signing so far, acquiring Brazil international winger Savinho from fellow CFG club Troyes, but who else could City sign this summer? We’ve taken a look at the strong rumours and bookmakers’ favourites, with a couple of our own suggestions below…
Jeremie Frimpong
With some key stars either ageing or prone to injury (or both), Guardiola is going to have to make some key decisions.
The first of those decisions is at right-back, where Kyle Walker was sensational once again in 2023/24, but recently turned 34. There’s no way the club captain will be frozen out or disposed of and, indeed, Walker still has a key role to play for the defending champions. However, having a younger model to play week in, week out would ease the pressure on Walker’s body while allowing Guardiola to save him for the biggest occasions.
Reports surfaced earlier in the summer suggesting Man City could try to bring a familiar name back to the Etihad in Jeremie Frimpong. The flying Dutch full-back left Manchester for Celtic back in 2019 and fast-forward five years, he is now one of the most in-demand players in Europe after winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double with Bayer Leverkusen — scoring 14 goals across all competitions this season, no less.
A Frimpong return might seem fanciful, but it is something the player himself has hinted at.
“It would be great [to return to Manchester City]… But I don’t know,” Frimpong said last summer, adding: “They have just won the Champions League and are the best team in the world. In the future we will see.”
More recent reports suggest Guardiola will stick with Walker as his first-choice right-back, which could push any approach for Frimpong to next summer. However, we know City are a club that likes to plan ahead, so let’s not write anything off.
Jarrad Branthwaite
The next major question to answer is at centre-back. Ruben Dias’ place is completely secured and in an ideal world, John Stones would stay fit long enough to be his regular partner. The former Everton man does, after all, have a very solid claim to being one of the best defenders on the planet when fit.
But the reality is Stones has always struggled to stay off the treatment table and given he has just turned 30 years old, it’s probably time for some forward planning.
Arguably the biggest centre-back prospect in the Premier League right now Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite who, after an excellent season on loan at PSV, was a colossus at Goodison Park in 2023/24. The former Carlisle youngster has the full package with his rock-solid defensive instincts coupled with ice-cool composure on the ball.
Reports suggest Manchester United are the current favourites to sign Branthwaite, but Manchester City have long been linked and would have much greater pull than the Red Devils, whose swoop for Leny Yoro could slow down a pursuit of Branthwaite. It worked out quite well the last time a centre-back went from Goodison Park to the Etihad…
Bruno Guimaraes
The biggest area of uncertainty for City this summer probably lies in midfield. Rodri is the best on the planet in his position but around him, Kevin De Bruyne continues to struggle for consistent fitness and is now being linked to Saudi Arabia and MLS, while the likes of Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes didn’t quite manage to replace Ilkay Gundogan — though the former was certainly solid.
It’s looking increasingly likely that City’s main target this summer will be Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian is already Premier League-proven, while he ticks all the boxes in terms of the physicality and technicality Guardiola demands of his midfielders. The Catalan coach is certainly a fan.
“He is an exceptional holding midfielder. He is aggressive, with the ball or without the ball,” Guardiola said of Guimaraes ahead of Man City’s FA Cup quarter-final clash with Newcastle in March. “At set-pieces, he’s aggressive and is a real, complete holding midfielder since being at Lyon and now at a club who want to grow up and up. I am sure he is part of the project for the next years. Definitely.”
All manner of reports have been swirling around regarding Guimaraes and Man City, including that the champions could offer Oscar Bobb or Rico Lewis as part of an exchange deal. Guimaraes’ teammate and compatriot Joelinton says he ‘thinks’ the midfielder will remain at St. James’ Park. However, the Cityzens remain a 5/6 shot to sign Guimaraes this summer according to Sky Bet.
Pedro Neto
Despite all their spending power, City must still balance the books. If offers come in for the likes of De Bruyne and Silva, it may be hard to say no given what stage of their careers they are at.
A surprise candidate who has been linked with a move to City is Wolves star Pedro Neto. The Portugal international is doubtless an elite creative force, notching the fourth-most assists in the Premier League last season (9) despite being limited to just 1,518 minutes and not featuring at all from March 9th until the final day.
It’s reported Wolves want £60m for Neto which would certainly represent a risk. However, he’s still only 24 years old and is coming off the best season of his career so far. He has all the dynamism and creativity of a Guardiola forward and his presence could allow Phil Foden to drop into the De Bruyne role behind Erling Haaland, with Jeremy Doku providing width and speed on the other flank.
This would represent an understated but very measured approach to the summer window from Man City.
Dani Olmo
The Cityzens have been linked with Dani Olmo in the past and the Spaniard’s stock is incredibly high right now after notching eight goals and five assists in 25 appearances for RB Leipzig last season before registering three goals for Spain en route to Euro 2024 success.
At present, Sky Bet rate City’s chances of signing Olmo at 4/1, making them second-favourites behind Barcelona. Of course, the Blaugrana currently don’t possess anywhere near the spending power of their English counterparts and with Olmo’s £50.6m release clause recently expiring, clubs will have to negotiate directly with Leipzig, meaning the price could be jacked up. That would only play into Man City’s favour.
Three ways Man City could line up under Pep Guardiola next season
If there’s one thing certain about Guardiola, it is that nothing is for certain, especially when it comes to setting up his team. In the second half of last season’s Premier League campaign, City were deployed in three different formations — 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, 3-4-2-1 — and there’s no reason to see Guardiola veer off this course, at least at the very beginning of the 2024/25 season. With that being said, how could the champions line up in these systems?
Textbook Pep
Though a self-confessed disciple of the ‘Ajax school’, notably the Johan Cruyff doctrine, Guardiola has seldom gone with an orthodox 4-3-3 at City despite having the personnel. He generally favours the variant that allows for a deep-lying forward with a double pivot.
Bayern route
It was at Bayern Munich where Guardiola displayed his willingness to evolve. Back then, with lethal wingers at his disposal, he set up his Bavarian team in a 4-1-4-1 shape. That formation has followed him to City; if need be, he’ll continue to unleash it. In the graphic above, Rodri would be City’s sitting midfielder, with Olmo and Guimarães sandwiched between the wingers, and Haaland leading the line.
Three at the back
You don’t often see Guardiola using three at the back, although he had good reason to last season. This formation allowed him to play with two number 10s and, in theory, assert even more control.
