Midfielder exodus could fund further Maresca signings
Manchester City's ability to add more new faces beyond the club-record arrival of Elliot Anderson may come down to who leaves the Etihad this summer.
The £116 million deal for Anderson has been agreed with Nottingham Forest, but further significant incomings are understood to be linked to generating departures rather than continued heavy spending.
According to Mail Sport's Jack Gaughan, any additional midfield movements that would genuinely impact the first team are likely to depend on outgoings. Mateo Kovacic and Omar Marmoush are both said to be considering their options away from the club ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
Kovacic has been a regular since arriving from Chelsea in 2023, while Marmoush joined from Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2025. The willingness of both to assess their futures elsewhere suggests City could facilitate exits to create financial flexibility for further arrivals.
Nico Gonzalez is another name on the list. City are open to listening to offers for the midfielder, according to the same report, adding a third player whose future appears uncertain under Enzo Maresca.
The willingness to entertain departures across multiple midfield options reflects the scale of the rebuild Hugo Viana is overseeing. Anderson's arrival has already altered the squad balance, and Maresca's preference for a refreshed group adds further impetus to moving players on.
Any sale involving Kovacic, Marmoush or Gonzalez would free up squad space and resources that could be reinvested into further targets. City have been linked with as many as five new signings across multiple positions this summer, including further midfield, defensive and attacking reinforcements.
Whether any of the three depart before the window closes remains to be seen. The message from within the Etihad, however, appears clear: Maresca's vision for the squad will be shaped as much by who leaves as by who arrives.