Six names, one rebuild. City’s midfield picture has shifted more in a week than some most manage in a whole window.
Ayyoub Bouaddi, Manu Kone, Alex Scott, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga have all been linked as incoming targets, while Tijjani Reijnders has gone from expected departure to reprieved in the space of a fortnight, and Rodri’s own future remains genuinely open despite lifting the World Cup on Sunday.
Here’s every name in play, ranked by likelihood, fee and fit.
🥇 Most advanced: Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille)
Likelihood: High
Fee: Not yet reported, though Lille rarely sell cheaply
The fit: City have told his camp they want him straight into first-team plans, a step up from the loan-back arrangement previously discussed. Arsenal remain in contention and would accommodate either structure, but City’s directness here suggests real intent.
🥈 Genuine interest, early stages: Manu Kone (AS Roma)
Likelihood: Medium
Fee: Around £50m
The fit: Described as a “one-man army” in midfield, and reportedly keen on a Premier League move himself. Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been sounded out too, so City would need to move decisively to get ahead of the queue.
🥉 Approach made, but not the front-runner: Alex Scott (Bournemouth)
Likelihood: Low-medium
Fee: Not yet reported
The fit: Guardiola once described Scott as “an unbelievable player,” and City have made direct contact. The problem is Manchester United are further along, having made him their priority midfield target, and Bournemouth’s stated position is that he isn’t for sale at any price this summer.
Real Madrid duo: unlikely but not nothing
Federico Valverde
Likelihood: Low
City have made an approach, and Valverde’s position at the Bernabeu looks less secure than at any point since he arrived. Real’s stance remains that he isn’t for sale unless he pushes for an exit himself — which, so far, he hasn’t.
Eduardo Camavinga
Likelihood: Low
Linked alongside Man United, but City’s interest has reportedly cooled as Maresca leans toward younger, longer-term profiles rather than an established Real Madrid midfielder.
The retention story running alongside it
None of the above happens in isolation. Tijjani Reijnders, who looked destined for Galatasaray, Juventus or a Milan return a few weeks ago, is now being given a clean slate under Maresca, with Rodri’s contract uncertainty a significant factor in City wanting cover rather than fewer options.
And Rodri himself remains unresolved — a World Cup winner and Golden Ball holder, still without a new deal, with Real Madrid’s interest refusing to fully go away even as reports on their actual intent contradict each other.
Where this leaves us
Bouaddi looks the most likely name to actually arrive. Kone is the one worth watching if City move fast.
Scott, Valverde and Camavinga currently read more like background noise than genuine targets — and the real story of City’s midfield this summer might end up being who they keep rather than who they sign.
