Enzo Maresca and Hugo Viana are overseeing a significant reshaping of the Manchester City squad this summer, and the latest development confirms another departure is on the cards. The club's summer transfer tracker — covering every confirmed signing, advanced deal, live target and departure — has been updated at 1:00pm BST on 20th July 2026.

The headline news since the last update: Savinho has reached a verbal agreement with Tottenham. The deal is understood to be worth around a certain fee, though the exact figures have not been made public.

It is another move that fits the pattern of this window. City have already seen Bernardo Silva and John Stones leave the club this summer, and the squad is being streamlined under the new management team. Savinho's exit, while not yet formally completed, suggests the Brazilian winger was not central to Maresca's immediate plans.

“The headline development since our last update: Savinho’s move to Tottenham has progressed to a verbal agreement worth around…”

For Tottenham, it represents a signing from a direct rival — one that might raise an eyebrow or two among City fans. Savinho's potential arrival in north London adds to a squad that has been quietly rebuilding under Ange Postecoglou, though the Premier League champions remain Arsenal, not Spurs.

The tracker will continue to be updated as the window progresses. City's first pre-season game is against Inter Milan on 1st August, which gives Maresca and Viana just under two weeks to finalise the current round of business before the squad heads out for competitive action.

No specific reason for the breakdown has been given. What we know is this: the 18-year-old rejected a renewal offer from PSG in favour of City, a decision that suggested his mind was made up. Then, at some point between that reported agreement and now, the deal fell through.

Long-term planning, short-term gap

City had scouted Malonga extensively and rated him very highly. The plan was to bring him into the first-team squad initially, then send him out on a strategic loan. This was an academy pipeline investment, not an immediate fix. The defensive department was already identified as an area needing reinforcements after a period of transition, but this was always about the longer view.

That makes the collapse a setback in planning terms rather than a crisis for the coming campaign. But it leaves a hole in Hugo Viana's carefully constructed recruitment blueprint. Quality young centre-backs are among the hardest profiles to find, and Malonga's potential is not easily replaced.

Josko Gvardiol's new contract provides stability at the top of the defensive hierarchy, but questions about the depth behind him remain. The pressure is now on Viana to identify alternatives.

A testing summer

The Malonga collapse is the second time this window that a deal has reached an advanced stage before wobbling. Just weeks ago, CEO Ferran Soriano had to intervene personally to keep the £116 million signing of Elliot Anderson on track. That one held. This one did not.

It has been that kind of summer for City's recruitment operation — tested at every stage, and not always coming out clean on the other side.

Arsenal are weighing up a free transfer move for John Stones, according to reports, with Mikel Arteta suddenly in need of defensive cover after William Saliba's back injury threatened to sideline the Frenchman for an extended period.

The 32-year-old left City this summer after his contract expired, ending a decade-long association that brought 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League. For a defender of his pedigree, interest was always likely to follow.

Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Juventus and a return to former club Everton have all been mentioned as possible destinations for Stones, whose technical quality and experience remain highly regarded despite the injury problems that limited his game time in his final season at the Etihad.

Saliba injury forces Arsenal's hand

The specific urgency behind Arsenal's interest, however, stems from Saliba's back problem. According to reports, Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta have been assessing the market for defensive reinforcements after learning the centre-back could require surgery — a scenario that would leave them significantly short at the back heading into a campaign where they are expected to compete on multiple fronts.

Stones, as a free agent, represents a logical option. Premier League experience, familiarity with high-line systems, and no transfer fee attached. Those factors carry obvious appeal for a club working against the clock.

Sun Sport reports that Arsenal are eyeing a move for the England international, whose fitness was demonstrated at the World Cup when he played the full 120 minutes in England's 2-1 victory over Norway in the Round of 16. That display, coming after a season of limited minutes at City, will have reassured any club assessing whether he can still contribute at the highest level.

What Stones wants next

The question now is whether Stones sees a move to a direct Premier League rival as the right next step, or whether the European options carry more appeal. That decision will determine whether Arsenal can turn their interest into something more formal in the coming days.

From City's perspective, seeing a decorated former player line up against them in a red shirt would be an ironic postscript to a summer in which Hugo Viana has already spent heavily reshaping the squad around Enzo Maresca. The club had already identified Stones's long-term replacement in central defence as part of a wider rebuild, with younger options being integrated into the defensive unit. That process was always going to happen. The destination of the outgoing defender is something City can no longer control.

Sunday night in New Jersey, Rodri added a World Cup winner's medal and the Golden Ball to the Ballon d'Or already sitting on his mantelpiece. Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time, Ferran Torres tucking home a loose ball off the underside of the bar in the 106th minute. On paper, it was a tight final decided by a single moment. The underlying numbers suggest something closer to a procession.

Spain had 20 attempts on goal. Argentina had two. The defending champions did not register a single shot on target — Messi, chasing a fairytale farewell, was denied even that. Spain conceded 0.00 expected goals until deep into extra time. Enzo Fernández picked up a second yellow card in stoppage time, a fitting emblem of an evening that slipped away from Argentina long before the whistle.

Rodri's Individual Contribution

By his own standards, Rodri's attacking numbers were modest. Expected Goals of 0.03, Expected Goals on Target of 0.00, one touch in the opposition box. Shot accuracy of zero from one attempt. But that was never the point. He completed 101 of 106 passes at 95%, threaded 15 passes into the final third, and landed eight of nine long balls. He won eight of ten ground duels. Four defensive contributions. One successful dribble from one attempt. The midfielder who already holds the 2024 Ballon d'Or did not need to shoot. He dictated the rhythm of a final Spain controlled almost from start to finish.

This was a performance built on suppression. Argentina could not get at Spain. Messi could not get at goal. And at the heart of it, two years removed from a serious ACL injury, was a 30-year-old who has now won everything the game can offer a European player.

'We are two-time world champions,' Rodri said afterwards. 'It is an example of overcoming adversity, you have to believe.'

He was not talking about himself, but the line fitted anyway. The injury, the recovery, the return to this stage — it is the kind of arc that gets written into legend. The numbers from Sunday will not go on a poster. The medal will.

Data courtesy of Fotmob.

Rodri, Manchester City's Ballon D'Or winner, has captained Spain to the World Cup final. The trophy he has not yet won — the only one missing from a career that has otherwise collected everything — is now one game away.

The midfielder is the last of 19 City players called up to this tournament. He has led Spain through a route that reads like a roll call of modern football's biggest names: David Alaba's Austria, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, Kevin De Bruyne's Belgium, Kylian Mbappé's France. All dispatched. Next up: the defending champions, Argentina.

Argentina have made a habit of winning games late in every knockout round. That is their pattern. Spain's response to it will define the final.

History within reach

Spain have not won the World Cup since 2010. Rodri, who led them to their first European Championship in 12 years in 2024 and won Player of the Tournament along the way — a run that was central to his Ballon D'Or — is now one win from bringing them a second World Cup. The names he would join — Iniesta, Xavi, Sergio Busquets — are the ones that defined an era.

Argentina, by contrast, have faced only one top 15-ranked nation on their path to the final. The contrast in opposition is stark, though it counts for nothing once the whistle goes.

Subplots everywhere

Lionel Messi, who spent 17 seasons at Barcelona, will face multiple players from his former club in the Spanish side, including Lamine Yamal. That is the headline subplot. The one closer to home for City fans involves Rodri going head-to-head against former teammate Julián Álvarez.

Álvarez played 103 games for City across two seasons, scoring 38 goals. He was the second option behind Erling Haaland, but he found real success under Pep Guardiola regardless. Now he stands between his old clubmate and a World Cup winners' medal.

Regardless of which nation wins the World Cup final, a player with Manchester City ties will lift the trophy.

It will be either Spain's captain and current City player Rodri, or the Argentinian striker and former City player Álvarez. Either way, the old address gets a mention.

The numbers are staggering enough on their own. Seven hundred and ninety-four touches. Six hundred and fifty-five accurate passes at 92.91 percent. Forty-one duels won. Thirty-four possessions won. Twenty-two tackles. Nine open-play chances created. Six hundred and twenty-seven minutes played from a possible six hundred and thirty. Spain conceded one goal across eight games and averaged sixty-four percent possession. Rodri did not just win the World Cup Golden Ball. He occupied the tournament like a governing presence.

He also, eighteen months ago, could not walk without crutches.

Rodri captained Spain to a 1-0 victory over Argentina in the final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, a Ferran Torres goal in extra time separating the sides after Argentina had been reduced to ten men by Enzo Fernandez's dismissal. The Albiceleste managed zero shot attempts and just two touches inside the Spanish box across the entire match. Against a team featuring Lionel Messi, the best player in history according to Rodri himself, it was a performance of almost absurd control.

"This group is incredible," Rodri said. "We are two-time world champions. It's a tough feat, the hardest one to achieve. And we won it against a team like Argentina. We beat a great Argentina side, featuring Messi, the best player in history."

The Golden Ball, voted for by global football media, saw Rodri deny Messi a record-extending third such award. Messi received the Silver Ball after contributing eight goals across the tournament before drawing a blank in the final. Kylian Mbappe took home the Bronze Ball after finishing as the tournament's top scorer with ten goals.

A comeback for the ages

Rodri ruptured his right ACL in September 2024. At thirty, with a Ballon d'Or already secured months earlier, the injury threatened not merely his season but his entire career at the level he had reached. What followed was a recovery that now reads as almost unfeasibly complete.

"I'm proud and I would love for new generations to see that it is possible," the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner added. "That a player who touches the sky and then plummets to hell is also capable of rising again. It is an example of overcoming adversity, and you have to believe. Honestly, it's incredible."

By winning the World Cup, the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or within his career, Rodhi has joined an extraordinarily exclusive group — just the eleventh player in history to hold all three of the game's most coveted honours simultaneously.

Manager De la Fuente was unequivocal. "Rodri, we've always said that he's the best player in the world," he said. "He has so much future ahead of him. I hope that when players go through tough times, we are more patient and we do not try to undermine the player's journey, because he can win the next Ballon d'Or."

At his pre-final press conference, Rodri had laid out the ambition with clarity that now reads as prophetic. "The path to the biggest achievement, which is lifting the World Cup, is the one we've taken," he said. "First it was the Nations League, then the Euros, and now we have a great challenge ahead to make this generation unforgettable."

Which brings us, inevitably, to the summer's other persistent theme. Real Madrid's interest in Rodri has been a stubborn presence throughout the window, even as the Spanish club's institutional position has consistently pointed away from a deal. Pep Guardiola, who worked with Rodri across six seasons at the Etihad before departing last year, had predicted last October that the World Cup would reveal the real Rodri following his recovery from injury. The real Rodri has now been revealed as the best player at a World Cup. City will hope that is where the matter ends.

The Dutchman arrived from AC Milan last summer for £46 million and showed flashes of quality under Pep Guardiola. Seven goal contributions in 19 league starts isn't a bad return, but after the standards he set at Milan — 16 goals and four assists in all competitions the season before — his first year in Manchester hasn't quite hit the heights many expected.

With Maresca now in charge following Guardiola's decade-long reign, the new head coach is assessing every option in his squad. Reijnders' inconsistent game time has naturally led to questions about whether he stays or goes this summer.

Clubs are circling. According to FootballInsider, Galatasaray, Juventus and AC Milan have all shown interest in the Netherlands international.

Reijnders impressed individually during a World Cup campaign that ended in disappointment for the Dutch — eliminated in the round of 16 by Morocco. He'll be hoping that form carries into pre-season and convinces Maresca he deserves more minutes.

Transfer correspondent Pete O'Rourke summed it up neatly: "Reijnders has got a big pre-season ahead of him as he tries to impress the new Man City manager. He started really well last season but then lost his place under Pep Guardiola."

O'Rourke added: "It's a clean slate for him and everybody at City under Maresca, so Reijnders will be hoping that he can become a regular in the side."

The ability is clearly there. If Maresca can find the right way to use him, Reijnders could yet become an important part of this City side. The Italian seems keen to make that happen.

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has been photographed alongside PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi on a padel court in New York City, with the two meeting ahead of the FIFA World Cup final.

The image, which shows both men alongside a third individual after their session, captures an informal encounter between two of European football's most powerful figures. Al-Khelaifi's Paris Saint-Germain side have reached the World Cup final representing France this summer, adding an international chapter to what has already been a busy summer for the French club in the transfer market.

Padel has become something of a fixture among football's executive class in recent years. The sport's blend of accessibility and competitive edge makes it a natural setting for the kind of relationship-building that happens in the margins of major events, away from boardroom formality and transfer market scrutiny.

Al Mubarak has been a prominent presence in New York throughout the latter stages of the tournament. Manchester City's ongoing transfer business and the broader management of a club in significant transition have given the chairman plenty of reasons to be deeply engaged this summer, even while major international football continues in North America.

His public statements on City's direction this summer have emphasised the ambition and careful planning behind Enzo Maresca's appointment and the ongoing rebuild at the Etihad. The presence in New York speaks to a hands-on approach to steering the club through one of the most consequential periods in its recent history.

The warmth between the two figures is a reminder that football's most senior executives operate within a relatively small, closely connected global network. The informal encounters facilitated by events of the World Cup's magnitude carry significance that extends beyond the social.

Whether the meeting carries any bearing on Manchester City's remaining summer business remains entirely a matter of speculation. But in a sport where relationships between club executives can prove as consequential as those between sporting directors and agents, the photograph will attract attention well beyond its surface-level charm.

What can be said with certainty is that Al Mubarak's presence in New York at this juncture is no coincidence. City's transfer window remains active across several fronts, from the ongoing pursuit of wide attacking reinforcement to the unresolved futures of players whose situations at the Etihad remain to be clarified before pre-season begins.

Real Madrid have no intention of signing Rodri this summer. That is the definitive message coming from the Spanish club's senior hierarchy, according to a new report from The Athletic, despite the Ballon d'Or holder's long-standing openness to a move to the Spanish capital.

The story of Rodri's potential departure from Manchester City has been one of the most persistent threads of the summer window. Direct communication between the two clubs took place earlier in the summer, and the midfielder's name has been attached to Madrid throughout a period in which City's broader rebuild has dominated the news agenda.

But The Athletic draws a sharp distinction between the noise and the intentions of those in authority at the Bernabeu. The noises from various levels of the club could not be clearer: they have no intention of signing him.

Madrid are reportedly unhappy that Rodri's name has been so consistently and publicly linked to them throughout the summer.

Internal admiration, institutional resistance

The report acknowledges a fascinating counterpoint within the Bernabeu itself. Sources close to some senior players have spoken privately about how transformative his signing could be. That admiration coexists with the institutional resistance at the top of Madrid's hierarchy without appearing to carry any meaningful weight in the actual decision-making process.

For Manchester City and director of football Hugo Viana, the firmness of Madrid's position — delivered at multiple levels of the club rather than through a single spokesperson — provides a degree of clarity they may not have possessed at the start of the window. It effectively removes the club most frequently cited as a potential destination for the midfielder from the equation for this summer at least.

The question of Rodri's future now remains unresolved in a different way. Not because a move to the Santiago Bernabeu remains possible, but because the absence of a credible suitor at the level his reputation demands makes the prospect of any departure at all this summer considerably less likely than the volume of speculation has suggested.

For Enzo Maresca, the confirmation that Madrid are not coming for his most influential defensive midfielder is both reassuring and challenging. Reassuring in that it preserves his most important asset for the season ahead. Challenging in that the rebuild Maresca is overseeing was in part predicated on the potential reinvestment of funds from a Rodri sale that now looks increasingly unlikely to materialise this summer.

Whether Rodri's own openness to a future move persists into next summer, or whether the absence of a concrete offer from a club of Madrid's stature encourages him to recommit fully to the next phase of City's evolution under Maresca, is now the central question in a story that has generated far more noise than it has ultimately produced in the way of transfer activity.

Rodri has finally broken his silence on his Manchester City future — and the headline is that there isn't one yet. Speaking after Spain's World Cup semi-final win over France, the Ballon d'Or winner made it clear that club matters can wait.

“Right now, as I said before the FIFA World Cup, I have a contract at my club, and it will be something I want to settle when it ends,” he told Diario AS. “Quite important is the challenge [of a Final vs Argentina], we have to think about this. Raising the level will help me make a decision.”

The 30-year-old's current deal runs into next summer, and with little progress reported on an extension, the situation remains as ambiguous as it was before the tournament. City are understandably keen to keep hold of their number 16, but it appears nothing will be resolved until after Spain's campaign concludes.

Real Madrid links persist

Rodri has regularly been linked with a move to Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid and has previously spoken openly about playing at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, according to Spanish media, Los Blancos do not intend to pursue the midfielder this time around.

Following the departure of club legend Bernardo Silva this summer, Enzo Maresca will be determined not to lose further firepower in midfield as his first season in charge approaches. The signing of Elliot Anderson is promising, but Rodri's qualities, seniority and leadership in the dressing room remain indispensable.

Losing the treble winner next summer would be a significant blow. He has spent seven trophy-laden campaigns at the Etihad, collecting 13 honours since his arrival in 2019. Whether he extends his stay beyond next season remains to be seen, and it is unlikely we will receive any further clarity until the World Cup comes to a close.

Manchester City have lost out to Chelsea in the race for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, with the 23-year-old set for a medical at Stamford Bridge on Monday after the Blues agreed a British record £117 million fee.

The deal, first reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic, surpasses by £1 million the British transfer record City themselves set just weeks ago when signing Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. Rogers has been one of the most coveted attacking midfielders in the Premier League over the past 18 months, and City's sustained interest in the England international had been one of the most regularly reported stories of the summer window.

City director of football Hugo Viana had identified the 23-year-old as a profile capable of contributing across multiple positions within Enzo Maresca's system. The club were monitoring Rogers closely and were believed to hold considerable confidence in their ability to secure a deal.

Arsenal were the third club in what became a three-way race, with Aston Villa holding firm throughout on a valuation that has now been met and exceeded.

The move is expected to be formally confirmed in the coming days once administrative formalities are completed.

For City, the defeat represents a significant setback for Viana and Maresca, who had identified Rogers as a priority target. The search for a wide attacking option must now be redirected toward alternatives already being assessed.

Viana had been working on the Rogers pursuit alongside several other targets this summer. The winger search — which has already seen interest in Francisco Trincão discussed in the market — now takes on renewed urgency.

Whether the financial resources that might have been committed to a Rogers deal are redirected toward another attacking target, or whether City move in an entirely different direction, will define the next chapter of the club's summer window.

AC Milan are reportedly exploring the possibility of signing Phil Foden from Manchester City, though the Italian side would need to clear significant hurdles before any move could take shape.

According to reports in Italy, Milan believe City could consider offers in the region of €50m–€60m for the England international. No formal negotiations are underway, but the positive relationship between the clubs following Tijjani Reijnders’ move to the Etihad could smooth any future talks.

Foden’s contract situation adds an extra layer of intrigue. His current deal expires in the summer of 2027, meaning he has entered its final 12 months. City would risk seeing their negotiating position weaken if no renewal is agreed.

Selling a homegrown player of his technical quality for around €50m would still be a major — and potentially controversial — decision.

Leão sale needed first

Milan would need to sell Rafael Leão before making a serious approach. The Rossoneri are prepared to consider offers of at least €60m for the Portuguese winger, despite his contract containing a €175m release clause. No formal offer had arrived as of the latest update.

Foden would be a strong technical fit for Milan. He can play centrally or from either wing, and a move abroad could give him the fresh responsibility needed to rediscover his most consistent form.

For now, the deal feels more like an ambitious Milan idea than an advanced transfer. Leão must first be sold, and City would need a strong reason to open the door.

Manchester City have been installed as shock frontrunners to sign Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez this summer, with one bookmaker cutting their odds to 6/1 after the Argentine's impressive World Cup performances.

The 25-year-old scored a stunning late equaliser against England in the semi-final, a game Argentina went on to win 2-1. It was the kind of moment that tends to shift the market.

Fernandez's future at Stamford Bridge has been the subject of speculation for some time, with Real Madrid long considered the most likely destination. The Spanish side remain favourites at 5/2, but City have now emerged as credible contenders.

The timing is interesting. City are entering a new phase under Enzo Maresca, who is tasked with following the act of Pep Guardiola. And here's where it gets curious: Maresca and Fernandez previously worked together at Chelsea.

A reunion, then, is not entirely out of the question.

A statement signing?

Fernandez had a tricky 2025-26 campaign at club level, but his quality on the international stage has been impossible to ignore. He is one game away from securing back-to-back World Cup titles.

For City, a deal would represent something of a statement. The club have been the Premier League's dominant force for the best part of a decade, yet they have gone two seasons without winning the title. Arsenal are favourites to retain the trophy come 2026-27, with Liverpool also expected to be in the mix.

Bringing in a player of Fernandez's calibre would send a clear signal of intent.

Bayern Munich remain in the picture at 9/1, while Atletico Madrid (14/1) and Arsenal (16/1) are longer shots. Where Fernandez will actually end up remains unclear, but City's emergence as serious contenders adds an unexpected twist to the summer window.