What a difference a few hours can make.
City started Deadline Day with two big deals still to do.
With an hour of the window remaining, one is done, and the other looks to be almost there.
Iliman Ndiaye is officially a City player and a £125m agreement has been reached with Chelsea for Enzo Fernández.
If Fernández comes through his medical and the final formalities are completed as expected, it will bring the curtain down on a hugely ambitious summer at the Etihad.
And, whatever else you think about the money involved, City have certainly backed Enzo Maresca.
Ndiaye officially becomes a City player
The first big confirmation of the evening was Ndiaye.
City have completed a £65m deal for the Senegal international, with Everton receiving £60m guaranteed and a further £5m potentially due in add-ons.
He has signed a five-year contract.
It completes quite a journey for the 26-year-old, who once had unsuccessful trials with the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham before eventually getting his chance with Sheffield United.
As we looked at earlier on Deadline Day, his route to the Etihad has been anything but straightforward.
There is plenty to like from Maresca’s point of view.
Ndiaye can play across the front line, carries the ball well and offers something different to the attacking options already available.
He also arrives with two seasons of Premier League football behind him and should be ready to make an immediate contribution.
Fernández is the big one
Then there is Enzo Fernández.
City spent much of Deadline Day negotiating with Chelsea and, at various points, it was difficult to know quite where the deal stood.
There were reports of bids being rejected. Others claimed an agreement was close. Nicolò Schira even called the transfer done long before most other sources did.
Eventually came the update City supporters had been waiting for.
Fabrizio Romano gave the deal his customary “here we go”, and Sky Sports is now reporting that City and Chelsea have agreed a £125m fee.
Fernández had been permitted to undergo his medical.
And everything went through as expected; he becomes City’s record signing, overtaking the £116m paid for Elliot Anderson earlier this summer.
The fee equals the British transfer record set by Liverpool when they signed Alexander Isak from Newcastle last year.
Quite some deal.
A midfield transformed
Anderson and Fernández would be the headline names, but City’s midfield has undergone far more change than that.
Ayyoub Bouaddi arrived from Lille in another huge deal, while Allan was also added to Maresca’s squad.
That was necessary.
Rodri has gone to Barcelona, Bernardo Silva has left, and Nico González moved to Newcastle.
But City haven’t stood still.
The midfield Maresca takes forward is younger and looks increasingly like one built for the way he wants to play.
Whether all of those expensive pieces fit together immediately is another question.
But nobody can accuse City of failing to back their manager.
Grealish heading back to Everton
Jack Grealish is to spend another season at Everton.
It had become increasingly obvious that the 30-year-old was unlikely to feature prominently under Maresca, and another loan gives him the chance to play regularly at a club where he enjoyed his football last season.
For City, it also removes another player from an increasingly crowded squad.
Not every departure this summer will have been easy.
But there has been a fairly ruthless reshaping of the group.
City have made their intentions pretty clear
There will be time after the window closes to add up exactly how much City have spent and received.
The numbers will be enormous.
But the more important question is whether Maresca has been given the squad he wanted.
It is difficult to argue that he hasn’t.
City finished second last season and several huge figures from the previous era have since moved on.
The response has not been subtle.
Anderson. Bouaddi. Allan. Ndiaye. And, barring a late problem, Fernández.
Young players, huge investment and a squad increasingly shaped around what Maresca wants.
There is still an hour to go and, as Deadline Day has reminded us several times, nothing should be taken completely for granted until the paperwork is done.
But as things stand, City look to have finished an extraordinary summer by landing two more major additions.
Ndiaye is done.
Fernández should follow.
It has cost a fortune.
But City wanted a major rebuild this summer and, as the window prepares to close, they appear to have got one.
For updates on City throughout the season, take a look at our LIVE! Premier League 2026/27 News, Transfers, Updates & Viral Moments page.
