**One of Manchester City’s reported transfer targets for 2025 has a release clause that is unlikely to turn away the attentions of the Premier League champions.**
The upcoming calendar year is expected to be one of major transition for the Etihad Stadium club, starting in the boardroom with the exit of Txiki Begiristain and filtering down into Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad.
Begiristain will bring an end to a 12-season stay with Manchester City in the role of sporting director, handing over the reigns to Sporting CP’s current official Hugo Viana on a full-time basis from the next summer transfer window.
But given the amount of work that is expected to be undertaken by City, both men will work hand-in-hand over the coming months to identify what needs doing and who they intend on bringing into the squad for the next phase of the club’s development.
One of the targets that is understood to be on their list of options is Bayer Leverkusen and Netherlands international, Jeremie Frimpong – a former rising starlet in Manchester City’s academy system prior to moving to Celtic.
However, according to the [information of The Athletic’s David Ornstein](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5936155/2024/12/03/transfer-radar-window-signings-guide/?source=twitteruk&utm_campaign=twitterfc&utm_medium=social), Bayer Leverkusen have no intention of selling Frimpong in the upcoming January transfer window, and it would take ‘an offer too good to refuse’ for that stance to change.
With [the report pointing out](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5936155/2024/12/03/transfer-radar-window-signings-guide/?source=twitteruk&utm_campaign=twitterfc&utm_medium=social) that Leverkusen prefer to do business in the summer, and already have a replacement for the defender lined up, a release clause in Frimpong’s contract for below €40 million highlights the sort of fee that will be expected from potential suitors.
Any transfer fee in the region of the sum mentioned is unlikely to turn away Manchester City’s interest, particularly given the level of investment that the club is likely to understand to be required to ensure that long-term success is maintained.
Club officials within the Etihad Stadium are expected to welcome offers for club captain Kyle Walker during the next summer market, with the belief being that the England international’s performance levels at the very top of the game are no longer meeting expectations.
Rico Lewis remains a crucial component of Pep Guardiola’s system, but is viewed by some within the club as a player who can operate in a variety of positions when needed, and not solely as the club’s first-choice, mainstay right-back.
In fact, Lewis himself has admitted on various occasions that he believes he should have a future in Manchester City’s attacking midfield positions, having excelled in the role multiple times in recent seasons, particularly in the UEFA Champions League.