Manchester City confirmed the signing of Elliot Anderson on Thursday, adding another name to Enzo Maresca's summer business. The club has not disclosed the fee or contract length, but the deal is done.

Camavinga latest

Fresh updates emerged on another midfield target, though the source offers no details on the nature of those updates or whether a move is any closer.

Doku through to last 16

Jeremy Doku helped Belgium book their place in the World Cup last 16. That's three talking points from a busy Thursday at the Etihad.

Manchester City have drawn a line in the sand over Malo Gusto, telling Chelsea they will not pay £75 million for the right-back. According to Fabrizio Romano, the club like the player and Enzo Maresca appreciates him, but that price tag is a non-starter.

The ultimatum arrives at an awkward moment between the two clubs. The recent compensation dispute over Maresca's move from Stamford Bridge to the Etihad has already added friction to the relationship. Neither party is likely to be especially keen on doing the other any favours right now.

City's position is straightforward: the appreciation for Gusto remains, but the valuation does not. If Chelsea refuse to budge, the club will explore other options. It is a considered commercial decision rather than a rejection of the player himself.

Hugo Viana is not the type to be held to ransom simply because a target fits a specific profile. The pursuit of Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson showed City were prepared to break the market in one area, but even there the fee was justified by the player's profile rather than desperation. The right-back search will not be an exception.

“Manchester City like Malo Gusto and Maresca appreciates him, but the club are not planning to spend £75 million,” Romano said.

The threat of alternative options gives City genuine leverage in the negotiation. It also raises the obvious question: who else is out there? Finding a right-back who combines Gusto's age, Premier League experience and tactical fit under Maresca will not be straightforward. Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi has been considered as a potential positional conversion option in recent weeks, suggesting the conventional market has already proven difficult to navigate.

Whether Chelsea blink or hold firm is now the defining question in one of the summer window's more intriguing standoffs. History between the clubs, a manager with a vested interest in the outcome, and a significant price gap all need to be narrowed if a deal is to happen.

How City's ultimatum lands at Stamford Bridge in the coming days will determine whether Gusto's situation changes before the window closes, or whether Viana turns his attention elsewhere.

On its own, it is a straightforward retail launch. In context, it arrives at a moment when every visual detail carries weight.

Maresca has replaced Pep Guardiola. City are preparing for a three-match Asia tour. The club have already started presenting the new era to a global audience, and the travelwear gives that presentation a consistent look from the airport to the tunnel.

City's official shop now lists the PUMATECH range. The pre-season schedule includes fixtures against Inter, K League All-Stars and Atletico Madrid, all of which will be shown on CITY+. The tour opens against Inter in Hong Kong on 1 August before two games in Seoul — against K League All-Stars on 5 August and Atletico Madrid on 9 August.

That gives Maresca an immediate public stage. The matches will be used for fitness, tactical work and squad assessment. They will also form part of a wider commercial push built around travel, access and direct club media.

City's CITY+ announcement makes clear the full tour will be presented as subscription content. Supporters will see the games, the arrivals, the training clips and the early shape of Maresca's team.

The travelwear range fits into that same picture. It gives City a consistent look for the first weeks of the post-Guardiola era, at the exact point when every public image will be read for clues about the new manager.

Maresca is not walking into a quiet handover. City paid Chelsea compensation to appoint him, with The Guardian reporting that the club confirmed him on a three-year deal after Guardiola's exit. He knows the club, having previously worked in City's academy and first-team setup. That familiarity helps. It does not remove the pressure.

City have already released video content around his return, including Inside City footage of his first day back. The tone is deliberate: familiar face, new responsibility, controlled transition.

The football work still has to cut through the branding. Maresca has to define roles, manage staggered World Cup returns and shape the team before the competitive schedule begins. A tour against Inter, K League All-Stars and Atletico Madrid gives him useful opposition, but not much privacy.

Every session and match will carry commercial value. It will also invite football judgement.

That is the real point of the PUMATECH launch. Travelwear is not the biggest story of City's summer, but it is part of how the club will present Maresca's first months. The squad will travel in it. Supporters will see it in airport clips, matchday arrivals and tour coverage. PUMA and City will want the new season to feel organised before the Premier League starts.

Handled well, that helps City sell continuity after Guardiola. Handled badly, it risks looking too polished if the football underneath is still finding its rhythm.

City are experienced at this. Their commercial operation has been built over years of success, global touring and carefully managed access. The difference now is the managerial change.

Maresca's job is to make the football message as clear as the branding. The new travelwear collection can give City's tour a clean visual identity. It cannot do the harder work for him.

That will come in Hong Kong, Seoul and then back in Manchester, when City try to show that the post-Guardiola era has more than a new look.

Bernardo Silva's new Relentless documentary does more than wave goodbye. It sets out the standard Enzo Maresca now has to protect.

This is not just a farewell film. It defines the cultural benchmark the new manager must maintain at the Etihad.

Manchester City have launched £149 match-break packages for the coming season, and the pricing suggests the club is already thinking about how to sell the Enzo Maresca era.

The packages go beyond a standard travel offer. They represent an early attempt to frame the new manager's first campaign in a particular way — though whether that framing will land with supporters is another matter.

At £149, these aren't budget options. They sit firmly in premium territory, which feels notable for a season that follows significant change. Bernardo Silva and John Stones have left. Arsenal are champions. There's a new man in the dugout.

And yet the club is asking for a decent chunk of change before a ball has been kicked under Maresca.

The message seems clear enough: this is being positioned as an event, not a transition. Whether supporters will buy into that remains to be seen.

Manchester City could be in line for a tidy payday as Shea Charles closes in on a move away from Southampton this summer.

The 22-year-old is expected to be one of several departures from St Mary's after the Saints failed to secure promotion back to the Premier League. Spygate has added an extra layer of controversy to the situation, with players left disappointed by the club's actions during the play-offs.

Leeds United have now increased their bid to £23m plus add-ons for the Northern Ireland international, who is considered one of the most valuable assets in Southampton's squad. The Championship side are understood to value him closer to £30m and are hoping to reach a compromise.

City, naturally, will be watching closely and hoping a deal goes through. According to reports, the Blues included a 15 per cent sell-on clause when Charles left for Southampton in July 2023. If the Saints can push the fee up to £30m, City would bank around £4.5m for a player who never made a senior appearance at the Etihad.

In the grand scheme of City's summer business, that figure might not move the needle much. But these small fees add up, and the academy production line has helped finance some of the club's biggest signings in recent years.

James McAtee and Oscar Bobb both departed for £25m and £27m respectively in recent windows, while Cole Palmer's £40m move to Chelsea remains the standout academy sale. Romeo Lavia, James Trafford and Taylor Harwood-Bellis have also brought in significant fees.

City have already benefited from a sell-on clause when Lavia joined Chelsea in 2023. If Charles follows a similar path, the Blues could continue to cash in on their academy graduates for some time yet.

Manchester City are making progress in their bid to bring former Academy goalkeeper Pierce Charles back to the club from Sheffield Wednesday, according to reports.

The 20-year-old, who left the City Football Academy for Hillsborough at 16, has rapidly established himself as Northern Ireland's senior number one. Now, with sporting director Hugo Viana leading the charge, a return to the Etihad appears increasingly likely.

Sky Sports News reports that the two clubs are currently in talks over a deal, with optimism that an agreement can be reached. Discussions are said to be heading in the right direction.

Shift in recruitment strategy

The pursuit of Charles represents a recalculation of City's goalkeeping plans. Following Gianluigi Donnarumma's emergence as the undisputed number one last season, the recruitment team has adjusted its thinking about the back-up ranks.

The focus has shifted toward a homegrown option with the distribution data required by new manager Enzo Maresca, ensuring tactical continuity across competitions. Charles fits that profile.

This re-evaluation has accelerated amid uncertainty surrounding James Trafford. The 23-year-old, who returned from Burnley on a lucrative contract last summer, has grown frustrated by a lack of minutes behind Donnarumma. Premier League interest from Newcastle, Brighton and Aston Villa has emerged.

Cost-effective solution

An internal valuation may see a fee structured around performance add-ons, making Charles a highly cost-effective homegrown squad asset. For Maresca, the addition serves a dual purpose: filling a key slot under Donnarumma's mentorship while preserving capital for City's broader midfield and winger targets this summer.

Manchester City have reportedly joined the chase for Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, with a price tag of around £80 million attached to the 21-year-old.

The interest, first reported by the Daily Mail, puts City in a group of clubs that includes Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Scott's performances for Bournemouth have drawn attention, and the reported fee suggests the Cherries value him highly. Whether City are prepared to meet that figure remains an open question.

Fan reaction has been mixed, with some calling him a "proper baller" while others wonder where he'd fit into the current setup. Enzo Maresca's midfield is not exactly short on options, even after the departures of Bernardo Silva and John Stones this summer.

Scott impressed during his time at Bournemouth and has been touted as one of the better young English talents around. But at £80 million, City would be paying a premium for potential.

Manchester City have agreed a club-record £116m deal with Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson, making the 24-year-old the most expensive British player in the history of the game.

The move has its roots on a school football pitch in Wallsend, where Anderson's old PE teacher once said staff discussed whether it was worth putting money on him playing for England one day.

Fabrizio Romano has poured cold water on reports linking Manchester City with a move for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga. The transfer journalist made it clear that, despite what's been claimed elsewhere, there's nothing concrete happening.

Madrid-based outlet Marca had suggested the Premier League side were in advanced talks to sign the France international, with claims the player had been offered to Enzo Maresca's squad. But speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano offered a different account.

“At the moment on Manchester City, I don't have a confirmation about any proposal or…”

It's a fairly emphatic denial from someone who tends to know when things are actually happening. If City were genuinely closing in on a player of Camavinga's profile, you'd expect Romano's sources to have picked something up by now.

Whether this is Madrid trying to drum up interest or simply newspapers connecting dots that aren't there is hard to say. Either way, anyone expecting Camavinga in a blue shirt this summer should probably hold their breath a little longer.

Manchester City are making headway in their bid to bring Pierce Charles back to the club, with optimism building that a deal can be struck with Sheffield Wednesday for the goalkeeper.

The 20-year-old began his career in City's academy before moving to Hillsborough in 2021. He has since established himself as the Owls' first-choice keeper.

Sky Sports' Adrian Kajumba reports that progress is being made in the pursuit of Charles, with growing confidence that an agreement can be reached.

Beth Mead has joined Manchester City Women before a 2026/27 season that includes a WSL title defence and a return to the UEFA Women's Champions League.

City signed the England forward from Arsenal on a contract until 2029, adding one of the WSL's most decorated creators to Andree Jeglertz's squad ahead of September's new league campaign.

Manchester City confirmed Mead's arrival earlier this summer, describing her as an intelligent, versatile forward who holds the record for the most assists in WSL history. Reuters reported that Mead had signed a three-year deal after leaving Arsenal at the end of her contract.

City's own key-dates guide confirms the new WSL season begins across the weekend of Friday, 4 September to Sunday, 6 September. The detailed fixture list is due in the week commencing Monday, 27 July.

On the same Friday as that opening league weekend, City will learn their six UEFA Women's Champions League league-phase opponents.

City enter the Champions League at the league phase after winning the 2025/26 WSL title. That means three home and three away European fixtures before Christmas.

Matchday one lands on 22-23 September, barely over two weeks after the opening WSL weekend. Matchday two follows on 30 September-1 October.

That is not a distant complication. It is an immediate selection issue.

City can take confidence from their domestic base. Their own season-ticket push underlined that Jeglertz's side produced a 100 per cent WSL home record last season, scoring 38 goals across 11 home league assignments split between the Joie Stadium and the Etihad.

The WSL expansion from 12 to 14 clubs means supporters will now get 13 home league fixtures.

More matches are good for reach. For the coaching staff, they create less space to hide.

City announced Mead on a deal until 2029, framing her as an intelligent and versatile forward. The official WSL site confirmed Mead had joined City on a three-year deal, keeping her at the Joie Stadium until the summer of 2029.

City's own signing piece highlighted her WSL assists record. That creativity matters around Khadija Shaw and Vivianne Miedema, two of the most reliable penalty-box finishers in the English game.

If City are defending a lead after a European away trip, Mead's crossing quality can turn controlled possession into lower-risk chance creation. If they are chasing a game against a deep WSL block, her reverse passes and early deliveries give them a route that does not rely on endless sterile circulation.

The signing also reduces the danger of overloading Lauren Hemp, Shaw or Miedema before the season has settled.

City's 2025/26 success was powered by dominance, but dominance is harder to repeat when opponents adjust and the fixture list gets heavier. Mead has seen title races, Champions League knockout football and major international finals. She arrives with scar tissue as well as numbers.

City's own ticketing article described last season as the first double in the club's history. That sentence alone changes the dressing-room temperature.

Chasing is cleaner. Defending carries noise.

City will not enter the Subway Women's League Cup because Champions League sides are outside the revamped domestic competition from 2026/27. City's key-dates guide confirms European clubs will no longer enter that domestic tournament.

That removes one burden, but it should not be mistaken for a soft calendar.

The FA Cup defence begins in round four across 16-17 January. Champions League knockout play-offs, if required, arrive in February. Quarter-finals follow in late March and early April, with semi-finals in May.

In other words, City have traded a domestic cup pathway for the continent's sharpest weekly examination.

The Guardian reported before the move that City were keen to strengthen for the Champions League after winning the WSL. Reuters later quoted Mead saying City's style suits her and can bring something extra out of her game.

That is exactly the player profile City needed: experienced enough to understand pressure, hungry enough not to treat the move as a late-career lap of honour.

The temptation after a double is continuity. City cannot afford pure continuity. September will ask Jeglertz to decide quickly which combinations can survive rotation.

Mead with Shaw is the obvious public-facing idea. Mead with Miedema may be the more tactically intriguing partnership if City need a forward line built on movement, timing and disguised passing rather than sheer penalty-box volume.

There is also a defensive side to the signing. Wide forwards in Champions League football do not get to be passengers. City will face opponents who can punish loose rest-defence and target the space behind adventurous full-backs. Mead's experience in structured England and Arsenal sides should help the out-of-possession details, particularly in away European fixtures where City cannot simply tilt the pitch for 90 minutes.

The squad-building message is clear. City are not adding Mead because they lacked star power. They are adding her because the next version of the team needs more ways to win.

The first month gives Jeglertz little room for drift. City face a WSL title defence, a Champions League draw, two European matchdays and an international break before October is half complete. For a side carrying the status of champions and double winners, that pressure separates a great season from a sustainable era.

Mead's signing will sell shirts and season tickets, but its real value will come on the nights when City are tired, the opponent is compact and the calendar offers no recovery window.

Manchester City have been named among the clubs tracking Bournemouth's Alex Scott, according to reports. The Daily Mail's Chris Wheeler claims the Blues are one of several sides keeping tabs on the 22-year-old.

Scott has just come off a breakout season on the south coast, scoring three goals as Bournemouth secured a club-record sixth-place finish in the Premier League. That form has made him one of the more sought-after young midfielders in the division.

Whether City firm up their interest remains to be seen, but the noises are there.

Manchester City have joined the growing list of Premier League clubs monitoring Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, according to reports. The 22-year-old England international has emerged as a target for the Blues as sporting director Hugo Viana and Enzo Maresca look to reshape the midfield.

Scott's stock has risen considerably following Bournemouth's remarkable 2025/26 campaign, which saw them qualify for the Europa League under now-Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola. His development earned him a call-up to the senior England squad currently preparing for the World Cup round of 16 in Florida.

At the Etihad, plans are already underway to inject young, dynamic talent into central midfield. The club has already completed a £116 million move for Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson, and Scott is now being considered as another potential piece of the puzzle under Maresca.

MailSport's Chris Wheeler reports that City face stiff competition for the player. Manchester United are also admirers, while Arsenal are expected to be the main rivals at present. Chelsea and Tottenham have shown interest too, though Spurs have already signed both Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.

Price tag rising

The Cherries are playing hardball. They continue to insist Scott is not for sale and want to improve his current contract, which runs until 2028. While there had been a feeling a transfer would sit around the £60 million mark, Bournemouth are reportedly set to demand even more following other midfield deals across the Premier League this summer.

Having already rejected initial formal enquiries from Premier League clubs, Bournemouth's internal valuation is believed to have sky-rocketed toward the £80 million mark. The club may also look to insert a protective release clause, modelled on the blueprint used during Antoine Semenyo's high-profile switch to City in January.

City's financial muscle could give them an edge should Viana decide to test Bournemouth's resolve. Pre-season training looms, with a mid-July return date pencilled in for those exiting the World Cup early and those not at the tournament entirely.