A busy Friday at the training ground
Friday brought a flurry of activity as City's preparations for the new campaign stepped up a gear. The focus, naturally, has already shifted to Sunday's final pre-season outing against Atletico Madrid — the last chance to see this group before the competitive action begins.
But the real talking points were off the pitch. The transfer market provided significant developments, while fresh updates emerged on both Rodri and Nico Gonzalez. Add in news on another high-profile departure, and the picture of City's midfield rebuild is starting to come into focus.
Quite what those updates contain remains to be seen. What is clear is that the club are moving quickly to reshape the middle of the park, with Rodri's situation and Gonzalez's future both seemingly in flux.
Sunday's meeting with Atletico will give supporters their last look at this group before competitive football returns. Whether the squad they see is the one that starts the season is another matter entirely.