City cool on Bundesliga star Nmecha as German reports prove wide of mark

Manchester City have moved swiftly to distance themselves from claims they are pursuing Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha, despite a flurry of speculation emerging from Germany during the World Cup.

The 25-year-old has been turning heads at the tournament in the United States, scoring in Germany's 7-1 demolition of Curaçao and setting up a vital goal against the Ivory Coast to help secure knockout progression. That sort of form was always likely to generate transfer chatter.

And so it proved. German media outlets began talking up a return to the North-West for the former City academy man, who left the club in 2021 for Wolfsburg before moving to Dortmund two years later. But according to the Manchester Evening News' Simon Bajkowski, those stories have been firmly rebutted at senior levels within the Etihad hierarchy.

There is, it seems, no interest in Nmecha this summer.

Dortmund holding firm

Not that Dortmund would have made it easy. The Bundesliga side have Nmecha tied to a contract running until 2030, and reports suggest they have slapped a €100 million price tag on the midfielder to ward off Premier League interest. His €80 million release clause does not become active until 2027.

With City explicitly out of the race, others may now step forward. Local rivals Manchester United have been named as one potential suitor.

For City, the decision allows sporting director Hugo Viana to keep focus on the club's actual priorities. Chief among them is recruiting a specialist right-back to work alongside and learn from Matheus Nunes, who is expected to be first choice in that role.

Chelsea's Malo Gusto, valued at £75 million by Stamford Bridge, has been linked, as has Feyenoord's Givairo Read — a player also of interest to Vincent Kompany and Bayern Munich.

City have already shown their financial muscle this window with a club-record £116 million package for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, as they look to rebuild the engine room for Enzo Maresca's system. Nmecha, it appears, will not be part of that rebuild.