Exclusive: Man City's summer plans revealed as Doku and Silva face the axe

Steve Kay

• Updated: 18 Apr 2025 14:45 BST
• 5 min read

Exclusive

FootballTransfers understands that Manchester City are planning a major summer clearout, with several high-profile players potentially on the chopping block.

The Cityzens are in the midst of a rather disappointing season. Pep Guardiola already set about reshuffling his side in January, with the acquisitions of Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico Gonzalez and Juma Bah.

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That, however, was only the start of a large-scale rebuild. Guardiola and new sporting director Hugo Viana are putting plans in place for a massively important summer window.

FootballTransfers previously revealed that Rayan Cherki is one of the targets for the attacking midfield. The interest in the Frenchman is driven by concerns over the cost of Florian Wirtz, who is Guardiola's undisputed top priority to replace Kevin de Bruyne.

Sources have now informed us that the situation isn't quite as clear-cut. We are told that there are influential figures at Man City who firmly believe that Wirtz could be signed if the necessary sales are made.

READ MORE: Exclusive - Man City open Anatoliy Trubin talks as goalkeeper shake-up looms

Inside Man City's summer plans

While the concerns over the price of Wirtz persist, with some feeling that the money would be better spent on a more defensive player like Eduardo Camavinga, they could be overridden by the fear of the German joining Bayern this summer, which would put him out of reach for the foreseeable future.

Man City expect to receive a minimum of £50 million just for participating in the Club World Cup, while sell-on clauses on players around Europe will also fetch some passive income.

The bulk of funds will be raised via player sales, however, and there is a feeling among some at the club that, in an ideal world, enough money could be received to potentially sign Wirtz and Cherki while also strengthening other positions.

Man City are admirers of Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, but we have been told that they will not engage in a bidding war with his other suitors, chief among them Liverpool. We hear that initial talks with his representatives have left the club far from impressed.

Meanwhile, sources have reiterated that the likes of Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Ederson and Stefan Ortega could all depart the Etihad this summer. However, there are more players who face an uncertain future.

We have been informed that Bernardo Silva is someone to keep an eye on due to his contract expiring in 2026. Should he indeed leave, Cherki would be considered a replacement for him, whereas Wirtz would come in to take the place of De Bruyne.

Another player who could be axed is Mateo Kovacic. Tottenham are interested in the former Chelsea midfielder as a replacement for Yves Bissouma, and Man City won't stand in his way if they can recoup their original £30m outlay.

Finally, and perhaps most intriguingly, we are told that even Jeremy Doku could leave the club this summer. The Belgian is unsettled and worries that the arrival of Marmoush will severely restrict his game time.

At 22 years of age, the winger wants to play regularly, and he dreams of a move to Spain. His representatives have made contact with several LaLiga clubs, including Barcelona and Real Sociedad. Additionally, Chelsea are showing interest in Doku.

There is no guarantee that all of these players will end up leaving, but if they do, Man City will back themselves to be able to attract Wirtz after all.

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