A day of transition in Man City news at the Etihad, with one era ending on the pitch and another beginning behind the scenes.
John Stones has completed his move to Inter Milan, bringing the curtain down on a decade at City that brought six Premier League titles and the club’s first Champions League.
The 32-year-old signed his contract in Milan on Thursday, though a reunion with his old club looks unlikely to come this weekend — City face Inter in Hong Kong on Saturday, but reports suggest Stones will take a short continuation of his summer break before properly joining up with Cristian Chivu’s squad.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid have made their first concrete move for Rodri. City are stalling on a verbal offer of around €50m in the hope that other suitors join the race and drive the price up, with both Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona credited with checking on his availability this week.
With Rodri entering the final year of his contract, City’s calculation is straightforward: sell now at a premium, or risk losing him for nothing next summer.
On the pitch — or at least on the way to it — City’s pre-season tour of Asia is under way, with the squad touching down in Hong Kong ahead of Saturday’s Inter meeting at the Kai Tak Stadium.
Antoine Semenyo spoke of the scale of the welcome on arrival, a reminder of the size of the fanbase City are building on ahead of Enzo Maresca’s first full season in charge.
That changing of the guard is the subject of a wider look at the history behind Maresca’s first season at City, worth a read for anyone wanting context on what comes next now the Guardiola era is officially over.
Between a departing legend, a current one attracting interest from Spain, and a new manager finding his feet on tour, it’s a summer of genuine transition at City — with plenty still to be resolved before a ball’s kicked in anger.
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