Enzo Maresca faces an enormous challenge in his first season as Manchester City manager. Succeeding Pep Guardiola, the new boss must steady a squad threatened by a mass exodus, with a host of key players and youngsters potentially leaving during the ongoing summer transfer window.
British newspaper "Manchester Evening News" revealed that the English club is preparing to bid farewell to a long list of players, including key stars and promising youngsters, as part of a comprehensive restructuring led by Maresca in collaboration with new sporting director Hugo Viana.
Rodri and Trafford top the list of departures
Rodri sits at the very top of the thorny issues facing the management. The Spanish midfielder's contract ends in just a year, and he strongly wishes to join Real Madrid.
Spanish radio station "Cadena Ser" reported that Real Madrid made a verbal offer worth 50 million euros to sign the player, while Manchester City are demanding 75 million euros. The shift came after Los Blancos president Florentino Perez changed his stance on the deal following a long period of opposition.
Should Rodri leave, City are strongly seeking to sign 18-year-old Lille star Ayyoub Bouaddi as a potential replacement to fill the void in midfield.
The club are also preparing to lose goalkeeper James Trafford, who has become confined to the substitutes' bench following the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Englishman has agreed to join Leeds United after interest from Newcastle and Aston Villa, and finding a replacement for Donnarumma is now a top priority, with Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli among the names being put forward.
Real Madrid target three stars
Rodri is not the only City man on Real Madrid's radar. Their interest extends to Portuguese defender Ruben Dias, alongside Bernardo Silva, who has already signed for the Royal Club in a painful blow to Maresca's ambitions.
Savinho and Grealish look for a way out
Brazilian winger Savinho has officially requested to leave, having come close to joining Tottenham last summer. The English media indicate that serious negotiations are underway between the two clubs over a 70 million euro deal.
Jack Grealish, still recovering from injury, is also looking for a way out after realising his slim chances of convincing Maresca, despite Everton's desire to permanently bring back their former star.
A wave of loans and a mass departure
The club have already completed the loan deals of Mathis Detourbet to Monaco, Sofir Nebane to Lommel and Christian McFarlane to Leicester, while Kalvin Phillips will join Sheffield United on loan.
Several promising youngsters will also leave, including Max Alleyne, Matty Henderson Hall, Divine Mukasa, Jaden Heskey and Stephen Mfuni. The club must also address the situations of the veterans Claudio Echeverri and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey.
Others, such as Mateo Kovacic, will not have their contracts renewed. Maresca must also make decisive calls on Omar Marmoush, whom Tottenham are chasing, and Tijjani Reijnders, who has attracted interest from Galatasaray.
A glimmer of hope amid the storm
Despite this fierce wave of departures, Manchester City can still rely on a solid core of stars who have recently renewed their contracts. Foremost among them are Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Abdukodir Khusanov and Josko Gvardiol, along with Elliot Anderson, signed for a huge sum.
The coming weeks will be decisive in shaping the new Manchester City under Maresca. He begins a fresh chapter in the club's history after Guardiola's departure, facing unprecedented challenges that may completely reshape the team's identity.