Manchester City are on the verge of completing a £116 million transfer for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The bid has been accepted by Forest, with the deal now close to being finalised.

Manchester City have confirmed that academy coach Ben Wilkinson has left the club to join Derby County as a first-team coach.

The Championship side, managed by Jon Eustace, have secured Wilkinson's services after a lengthy spell in City's youth setup. His departure was announced via the club's official academy channels, accompanied by a tribute that read: "Ben Wilkinson has left the Club to become a first-team coach at Championship side Derby County. Thank you for everything, Ben, and all the very best for the future."

Natural progression

Wilkinson's move represents a step up into senior football, having built considerable experience in what is widely regarded as one of European football's most respected development environments. Derby are understood to have identified him as a key addition to their first-team coaching structure ahead of the new season.

The trend of Championship clubs raiding City's academy for coaching talent continues. Wilkinson's CV — forged in a setup that consistently produces players capable of either breaking into Pep Guardiola's squad or commanding significant transfer fees — made him an attractive candidate for a club aiming to build sustainably.

What next?

The vacancy left by Wilkinson's exit will need to be filled by a coaching staff already navigating a significant period of transition. Director of football Hugo Viana is overseeing the broader structural priorities of the club's football operation heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

Whether City move quickly to identify a direct replacement or redistribute Wilkinson's responsibilities across their existing coaching group remains to be seen. But his contribution during his time at the Etihad won't be quickly forgotten by those who worked alongside him.

Jeremy Doku's afternoon ended early in the second half as Belgium pulled off one of the great World Cup escapes against Senegal, recovering from two goals down to win 3-2 in extra time.

The City winger was withdrawn just after the break with his side trailing 2-0. Senegal had looked comfortable thanks to goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr, and Belgium appeared to be heading out.

Then Romelu Lukaku happened.

The striker sparked a late revival, scoring with a clever touch in the 86th minute. Youri Tielemans then levelled things up with an 89th-minute header, taking the game into extra time and leaving Senegal shell-shocked.

The drama didn't stop there. Dodi Lukebakio rattled the crossbar in the 125th minute, and after a VAR review, the referee awarded Belgium a penalty for a sliding challenge by Lamine Camara on Tielemans. Tielemans stepped up and smashed the spot-kick into the top corner to seal a remarkable victory.

Belgium now face a round-of-16 tie against either the United States or Bosnia-Herzegovina.

As for Doku, he'll hope for more involvement in the next round after a quiet outing here.

“We’re going to do the most important thing in football which is to win,” Maresca said in the clip. It’s a line that cuts through the usual talk of transition and cultural continuity that tends to accompany a succession this significant.

City confirmed Maresca’s arrival on a three-year contract running until the summer of 2029. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak framed the move as a natural fit, pointing to Maresca’s alignment with the club’s football structure. Sky Sports reported that City will pay Chelsea more than £17 million in compensation for the former Guardiola assistant, who worked alongside Pep during the Treble-winning season.

That fee sharpens the expectation. This is not being sold as a gentle reset year. Maresca knows the building, knows the positional language and understands the standard he has inherited. His first message gives that challenge a harder edge.

City have already been active around squad refresh, academy pathways and pre-season planning. Maresca’s first standard leaves little room for experimental drift. The succession is not about preserving Guardiola’s work in a museum. It is about modernising the inheritance without lowering the ceiling. Maresca’s first message suggests he understands that brutally well.

The Athletic's David Ornstein has reported that Newcastle's Italian midfielder is set to complete a £100 million move to Tottenham after the two clubs reached an agreement. That ends any lingering hope City might have had of landing Tonali this summer.

Attention now appears to have shifted to the Real Madrid squad.

Matteo Moretto, writing for Marca, reports that City have held talks with the Spanish club over Eduardo Camavinga, with new Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho having approved the Frenchman's sale this summer. Mourinho, it's said, has not been impressed with Camavinga's performances in recent seasons.

Fitness concerns

Camavinga is versatile — he can play in midfield or at left-back — and technically gifted. He carries the ball well, reads the game and is exceptional in a challenge. On paper, he could play a role in Enzo Maresca's squad.

But there are red flags. Camavinga doesn't have a set position, which can count against a player. Unless Maresca has a specific role in mind, it's hard to see where he fits beyond being a squad option. Real Madrid are unlikely to sell cheaply either.

The biggest concern, though, is his injury record. Camavinga has been plagued by fitness issues throughout his career, and that alone could be enough for City to say thanks but no thanks.

Marca also reports that City remain interested in Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi. Talks have been held, and the club are still deciding whether to sign him immediately or loan him back to Lille for the 2026-27 season.

City have already added Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest this summer, but the midfield rebuild is clearly not finished yet.

Real Madrid have offered Eduardo Camavinga to Manchester City, with direct contacts held between the two clubs in recent hours, according to reports in Spain.

The France international midfielder, 23, has been put forward as a potential arrival at the Etihad by the Spanish giants, per Matteo Moretto of Marca. The offer comes as City look to reshape a midfield that lost Bernardo Silva on a free transfer to Madrid this summer.

Doubts persist over the futures of Mateo Kovacic, Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez, meaning the £116m deal for Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson is unlikely to be the only midfield addition this window.

“It is claimed that an exit for Camavinga from the Bernabeu has the approval of Los Blancos manager Jose Mourinho, who has not been entirely convinced by the 23-year-old's performances in recent seasons.”

Mourinho, newly re-appointed in the Spanish capital, is prioritising defensive reinforcements and adding leadership — Bernardo Silva fits that brief, with Ruben Dias also tipped for interest from Madrid.

From City's side, Hugo Viana and those at the Etihad are considering the signing. Camavinga is highly regarded within the Premier League for his stamina and physical prowess, though injuries have disrupted his Bernabeu career.

Real Madrid's baseline valuation remains unknown but is unlikely to come cheap. Camavinga's ceiling as a hybrid number six or inverted left-back makes him an intriguing option for Enzo Maresca's setup.

City's first-team squad is scheduled to report for pre-season on July 20 ahead of their summer tour in Hong Kong and South Korea. Discussions between Viana and Real Madrid may accelerate depending on City's intentions.

The prospect of Rodri returning to Atletico Madrid this summer has been firmly rejected by a Spanish journalist, cutting off one of the more persistent strands of speculation surrounding the Manchester City midfielder.

Rubén Uría, writing in the Spanish press, stated there is “no possibility whatsoever, absolutely none” that the Spain international will rejoin the club where he came through the academy before moving to the Etihad in 2019.

The wording is about as unambiguous as it gets, leaving little room for interpretation. Whatever else might be happening with Rodri's future, a return to the Metropolitano is not part of the conversation.

Real Madrid interest remains unresolved

The Atletico link had added a fresh dimension to a summer already thick with speculation about the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner. Real Madrid had been previously reported to have made direct contact with City over a potential move, and that particular strand of the story has yet to reach a similar conclusion.

City, for their part, have maintained a firm stance throughout. Director of football Hugo Viana is not believed to have entertained the idea of sanctioning a departure for a player viewed as central to Enzo Maresca's plans for the coming campaign.

Rodri's performances at the World Cup have only reinforced his standing as one of the most coveted midfielders in the game, which makes the club's position entirely predictable. Losing your most influential defensive midfielder during a rebuild that already demands considerable resources is not a complication anyone at the Etihad would welcome.

Uría's denial narrows the field of credible suitors, but the broader question of whether Rodri starts the 2026-27 season in blue remains the defining issue of City's summer. The path back to Madrid via Atletico, at least, will not be the route through which that question is answered.

England's late win over DR Congo in Atlanta was more than just another knockout-stage survival act. For Manchester City, it was a fresh complication in a summer already packed with scheduling headaches.

Nico O'Reilly and Marc Guéhi helped England edge past DR Congo with a 2-1 victory, Harry Kane scoring twice in the final 15 minutes to set up a last-16 meeting with Mexico. For Gareth Southgate's successor, it keeps a tournament run alive. For Enzo Maresca, it keeps key players out of the building a little longer.

City already knew this summer would be awkward. Nineteen contracted players headed to the World Cup across Canada, Mexico and the United States. Every extra knockout round now widens the gap between those returning early and those still chasing international glory.

That gap matters because Maresca's first pre-season is not a normal one.

Asia Tour Waiting

City's Asia programme begins with Inter Milan in Hong Kong on 1 August. Then comes K-League All Stars in Seoul on 5 August and Atletico Madrid on 9 August. City confirmed the Seoul fixtures as part of the 2026 Coupang Play Series.

Those are not exhibition strolls. For a new manager installing his own patterns, those matches are the laboratory. The problem is that some of the most important instruments may not be in the room.

England's last-16 tie with Mexico keeps O'Reilly and Guéhi inside a tournament environment that rewards short-term survival. Club football demands repeatable habits. Those are not the same thing.

Had England gone out, both players would have moved into recovery and then into City's planning. Instead, they remain inside the World Cup machine, building emotional and physical load before a fixture that could push them deeper into the tournament.

Tactical Tension

O'Reilly's rise has given City one of the more interesting internal questions of the summer. He is not merely an academy prospect to protect. His tactical versatility can affect first-team planning. More tournament exposure builds authority but reduces the time Maresca has to coach him inside City's own framework.

Guéhi sits in a slightly different category. As a senior defender, his value rests on reliability, communication and decision speed. The more England progress, the more he proves he can operate under pressure. The more England progress, the less time City have to synchronise him with the rest of Maresca's defensive unit.

This is the paradox. The better City's players look at the World Cup, the messier the club's August becomes.

The Premier League has given City some breathing room. The 2026/27 season starts later than usual because of the World Cup. City's opener against Bournemouth is scheduled for 23 August. That helps the medical department but does not give Maresca a normal pre-season.

Rest gives legs back. Preparation builds automatisms — the angle of a centre-back's first touch, the distance between full-back and holding midfielder when possession turns over. Those details decide whether City control games or merely survive them.

Maresca's first task is not to prove he can copy Guardiola's patterns. It is to prove he can manage staggered readiness without turning August into an excuse. The staff will need a ruthlessly tiered plan.

Tour-ready players must carry the early tactical load in Hong Kong and Seoul. Late-returning internationals need individual re-entry, not ceremonial minutes. Academy and fringe players must be judged on tactical retention, not just enthusiasm.

England's survival keeps the pressure on. Now Maresca has to build his City around a calendar that does not wait for anyone.

Value, pathway and control

The situation is testing City's succession planning under the new manager. Newcastle's pursuit of the goalkeeper is pushing the matter up the agenda, leaving Maresca to weigh up Trafford's value, his pathway at the club, and the question of control.

Whether the keeper fits into the first-team picture or becomes a saleable asset is the judgement at the heart of it.

Manchester City have missed out on Sandro Tonali, with Tottenham completing a deal worth up to £100m for the Newcastle midfielder.

Sporting director Hugo Viana had positioned City to potentially engineer a big-money double swoop in midfield, using momentum from the club record-breaking £116m package for Elliot Anderson. But Spurs have countered with staggering financial ambition under new manager Roberto De Zerbi, who identified Tonali as the cornerstone of his system in North London.

According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Tottenham have reached an agreement with Newcastle for an initial £92.5m, with an additional £7.5m in proposed add-ons based on multiple Champions League qualifications. The finalisation of that £100m package marks a dramatic milestone in the domestic window, confirming Spurs have shattered their club transfer record twice in 48 hours following an undisclosed move for Mateus Fernandes.

For Tonali, the allure of spearheading De Zerbi's tactical operation, alongside an eye-watering personal salary package, has seemingly eclipsed the temptation of joining Enzo Maresca's project in East Manchester.

City exploring alternatives

While missing out on the 26-year-old may represent a rare defeat for Viana, City's hierarchy are already looking at alternative measures ahead of pre-season training beginning July 20. The club are understood to have made initial contacts over the possibility of signing Lille's Moroccan wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi, who starred for his country at the World Cup en route to the last 16.

It remains possible that a deal for the 18-year-old could involve a season-long loan at Lille for the 2026/27 campaign before joining City in the summer of 2027.

Elliot Anderson made his first appearance as a Manchester City player on Wednesday, turning in an impressive performance as England secured their place in the World Cup last 16. The Three Lions will now face Mexico in the knockout stage.

Anderson played the full 90 minutes, registering 76 touches and completing all 68 of his passes. His passing accuracy sat at 100 per cent, with ten of those passes going into the final third. The new City man also made five clearances, four of which were headed, and won three aerial duels.

He wasn't the only City presence on the pitch. Another Blues player also went the distance, recording 64 touches and 42 accurate passes at 91 per cent accuracy. That player managed nine passes into the final third, five recoveries and four touches in the opposition box. He also created one big chance.

A third City player, who also played the full match, registered a game-high 90 touches. He completed 61 passes at 85 per cent accuracy, with ten passes into the final third. He won six aerial duels, made five recoveries and four clearances, and created three chances – the most of any player on the pitch. He also had two blocks and two tackles.

All three were unused substitutes in the previous game but were handed starting roles here. All stats courtesy of FotMob.

The Manchester City midfielder, 30, joined the Blades hoping for the consistent game time that has eluded him since his 2022 move from Leeds United. Instead, he managed just two appearances before a fresh injury ended his campaign early.

“It was all right, all two games of it,” Phillips said in a Q&A relayed by the Yorkshire Post. “I suffered an injury which kept me out for the rest of the season, so that’s been the problem for me the last three years of not playing regularly – it’s made me acquire more injuries and stuff like that. So I’m looking forward to hopefully having a good season, actually.”

The comments offer a frank self-assessment of a period that has seen the England international unable to build the momentum needed to re-establish himself. A lack of match sharpness has left him physically vulnerable, and each setback has only made it harder to break free from that pattern.

Phillips’ situation is one of the more delicate personnel questions facing director of football Hugo Viana as he oversees a significant rebuild at the Etihad ahead of Enzo Maresca’s first season in charge. City have already committed £116 million to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, a club-record deal that further crowds the midfield picture.

Whether Phillips features in Maresca’s plans or departs on another loan or permanently this summer remains open. What comes through in his comments, though, is a determination to move forward rather than dwell on a difficult spell. The motivation to prove himself at the highest level has not diminished.

Tottenham Hotspur are the latest club to register an interest in Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford, with the 23-year-old's future at the Etihad uncertain following a season spent largely on the bench.

According to Miggs Delaney of The Independent, Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi sees Trafford as a home-grown option whose distribution fits his tactical approach. It's not hard to see the appeal — Trafford is English, comfortable with the ball at his feet, and already has experience of starting and winning major finals.

That may come as a surprise given his limited Premier League minutes last season. Trafford rejoined City from Burnley for £27 million via a buy-back clause, initially expected to become the club's first-choice goalkeeper. Then City went and signed Gianluigi Donnarumma from PSG late in the window, and Trafford was restricted to just four league starts under Pep Guardiola.

Still, he started and won both the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal and the FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley. That suggests a temperament for the big occasion, even if the league opportunities weren't there.

Now, with Pep Guardiola gone and Enzo Maresca in charge, Trafford's situation is up for discussion. Maresca is expected to hold definitive talks with the goalkeeper once his duties with England at the 2026 World Cup are over. Trafford has made no secret of his desire to play regular first-team football at the highest level, with an eye on eventually displacing Jordan Pickford as England's No.1.

If Tottenham want him, they'll have competition. Newcastle United are long-term admirers and have already made contact. Brighton, Aston Villa, and Juventus are all reportedly monitoring the situation. City, meanwhile, are said to be demanding a hefty profit — likely in the region of £50 million to £60 million — for a player whose contract runs until 2030.

Spurs will need to move decisively if they want to win what's shaping up to be a crowded race for one of England's brighter young prospects.

The 20-year-old has been the subject of growing speculation throughout the window, with his composure on the ball and comfort playing out from the back making him an increasingly attractive option for clubs across Europe seeking that specific profile of defender.

According to reports in Spain, Valencia are searching specifically for a right-footed centre-back comfortable playing out from defence. The club's sporting director and staff are said to be in agreement over Reis and Real Madrid's Joan Martinez as their two leading candidates for the role.

That Reis finds himself mentioned alongside a player contracted to one of Spanish football's most prestigious clubs underlines the regard in which he is held within Spain, even if his game time at City has remained limited relative to more established options in the squad.

No formal approach yet

Valencia's pursuit is understood to be in its early stages, with no indication yet that a formal approach has been made to Manchester City. The report's specificity around the club's defensive requirements suggests genuine interest rather than speculative interest from a distance.

Manchester City's current position is that they are not considering letting Reis leave the Etihad Stadium at this stage, with Enzo Maresca said to be actively trying to keep the Brazilian as part of his squad heading into next season.

That stance reflects the value Maresca and director of football Hugo Viana are understood to place on Reis's long-term potential, with the 20-year-old viewed internally as a defender capable of growing into a key role rather than one whose immediate future lies away from Manchester City.

The report does acknowledge that the situation could change as the summer transfer window progresses, leaving open the possibility that Valencia's interest develops into something more concrete should circumstances shift in the coming weeks.

Whether Reis ultimately remains part of Maresca's plans or finds his path blocked by the broader competition for places in defence, his situation looks set to remain one of the more closely watched subplots of City's summer.