After experiencing a relatively quiet transfer window in 2024, Man City approached the summer of 2025 differently which resulted in significant incomings and outgoings at the Etihad Stadium.
While a number of high-profile and experienced players have moved on, several talented stars have made the move to the blue side of Manchester, hoping to help Pep Guardiola and co return to the summit of English and European football in the near future.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at Man City summer transfer business and analyses whether the 2025 window was a success for Guardiola’s side.
Manchester City's Tijjani Reijnders celebrates on August 16, 2025
Confirmed Man City signings from 2025 summer transfer window
After spending around £180m on four new players in January, Man City welcomed seven new arrivals to the Etihad in the summer window for a combined fee in excess of £150m, with four of those fresh faces brought in prior to their FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
Rayan Ait-Nouri became the Citizens’ first signing of the summer in June and the club’s first specialist left-back addition since 2019, joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers for around £31m.
Regarded by many as the heir to soon-to-be 35-year-old Ilkay Gundogan, last season’s Serie A Midfielder of the Year, Tijjani Reijnders, became Man City’s second signing from AC Milan for a reported £46.5m.
French playmaker Rayan Cherki soon followed, joining from Lyon for around £34m, while backup goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli was added to Guardiola’s squad following the departure of experienced shot-stopper Scott Carson.
Under the guidance of new director of football Hugo Viana, Man City have targeted younger players to address the age profile of Guardiola’s squad whilst also pursuing highly-rated youngsters for the future, including 18-year-old midfielder Sverre Nypan, who has joined from Norwegian outfit Rosenborg for around £12.5m.
Man City decided to address their homegrown quota issue by re-signing goalkeeper James Trafford for a reported £27m at the end of July, two years after selling the 22-year-old academy graduate to Burnley.
The Citizens left it late to confirm their seventh and final signing of the summer window, with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma making the high-profile switch from Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain for a reported £26 on deadline day.
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne celebrates with teammates on May 20, 2025
Confirmed Man City departures from 2025 summer transfer window
Guardiola's wish to have his bloated squad trimmed was granted, as more than 20 players across Man City’s senior and academy teams left the club during the summer transfer window and the biggest departure of them all was that of club legend Kevin De Bruyne, who has joined Napoli following the expiration of his contract after 10 trophy-laden years at the Etihad.
Kyle Walker was another high-profile departure; after leaving in January to join AC Milan on loan, the 34-year-old right-back has since returned to the Premier League to link up with newly-promoted Burnley in a deal which could rise to around £5m.
As mentioned previously, Scott Carson has departed after six years at the club, while Jack Grealish has joined Everton on a season-long loan deal in a bid to resurrect his career ahead of the 2026 World Cup, four years after moving to the Etihad for £100m.
James McAtee is one of a number of academy graduates to leave City permanently, with the 22-year-old midfielder joining Nottingham Forest for around £30m after expressing a desire for regular first-team football.
Yan Couto and Maximo Perrone have been sold to Borussia Dortmund and Como respectively, and Farid Alfa-Ruprecht (Leverkusen), Jacob Wright (Norwich City), Callum Doyle (Wrexham), True Grant (Stoke City) and Kayky (Bahia) have also finalised permanent exits from Man City.
A month after joining Man City, Nypan completed a loan move to Championship club Middlesbrough, while Claudio Echeverri (Bayer Leverkusen), Vitor Reis (Girona), Juma Bah (Nice) have all completed temporary moves abroad to continue their development in the hope of returning to Guardiola’s first team in the future.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who made six senior appearances for Man City last season, will hope to play regular on loan at Scottish champions Celtic this season, and the same applies for Divin Mubama (Stoke), Joel Ndala (Hull City), Max Alleyne (Watford) and Finlay Burns (Reading) who have all joined EFL clubs on loan.
Man City’s wrapped up the summer window with three high-profile departures. Goalkeeper Ederson ended his eight-year association with the club to join Fenerbahce, and Ilkay Gundogan has followed him to Turkey by signing for Galatasaray, while Manuel Akanji has moved to Inter Milan on a loan deal that could become permanent if certain conditions are met.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on April 12, 2025
Was the summer window a success for Pep Guardiola's side?
After winning an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title in 2023-24, Man City’s response was to strengthen their squad with only two new players last summer - Savinho and Gundogan - and that decision ultimately ‘ended up costing’ City, according to chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
The Citizens failed to win a major trophy for the first time in eight seasons in 2024-25 and Al Mubarak admitted that the club "should have been more aggressive" in last summer’s transfer market.
City's big-money investment in January was viewed as a long-overdue first step toward rejuvenating Guardiola’s first-team squad. The summer transfer window represented another opportunity for new director of football Hugo Viana to continue the club’s rebuild, with much attention focused on four key positions in need of strengthening: right-back, left-back, centre-midfield and attacking midfield.
Much to the disappointment of the club’s supporters, Man City were unable to bring in a new right-back, despite pursuing Tino Livramento for much of the summer, and Guardiola must now rely on Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes as his first-team options, while Abdukodir Khusanov and John Stones may also be called upon if needed. Nevertheless, City successfully addressed the other key positions identified for improvement.
Left-back has been a problematic position for Man City in recent years and the addition of Ait-Nouri - a technically-gifted natural in that position with five years of Premier League experience - could prove to be a shrewd acquisition from Guardiola’s side, which will allow Josko Gvardiol to move over to centre-back on a more regular basis in the long term.
Signing a new No.8 - a dynamic, box-to-box midfielder who can contribute at both ends of the pitch - was high on Man City’s list of prioritises and Reijnders seems to have all the attributes to thrive under Guardiola, provided he is given time to adjust to the intensity of the Premier League.
Gianluigi Donnarumma/Ederson composite
Man City summer transfer window: Viana oversaw significant change, but some questions remain unanswered
Meanwhile, Cherki’s arrival brings promise, though it remains to be seen if he can come close to matching De Bruyne’s legendary impact. City considered a big-money move for Florian Wirtz - now at Liverpool - but they chose the talented 21-year-old Cherki as a more affordable option - a somewhat risky playmaker signing many will feel is worth the punt. However, City’s new No.10 will now miss the next two months through injury, so Phil Foden will need to step up and prove his worth.
Cherki is one of several young talents to join Man City across the last two transfer windows, alongside Trafford, Nypan, Khusanov, Reis and Echeverri, and the club deserves praise for addressing the squad’s age profile with a clear focus on the future in mind. Notably, no outfield players over the age of 27 were signed this summer, while seven players aged 29 and above have departed, signalling a significant effort to refresh the first-team squad.
Although this approach is promising long-term, City are posed with immediate challenges. It remains uncertain how quickly City’s new, younger players will adapt to life at the Etihad and replace some of those experienced pros - six of whom were 2022-23 treble winners and deeply understood Guardiola’s philosophy. Challenging for the Premier League title and other major honours could therefore be a real challenge this term during a period of transition.
Man City concluded the summer window by replacing Ederson, one of the greatest ball-playing goalkeepers of his generation, with Donnarumma, who many regard as one of, if not the, best shot-stoppers in world football. However, this decision has divided the club’s fanbase and the wider football community, especially with Trafford having already arrived at the Etihad.
Donnarumma’s leadership, experience and Champions League-winning pedigree are major positives to his game, but his success in a Man City shirt may ultimately depend on how well he adapts to Guardiola’s tactical demands and City’s style of play, particularly with the ball at his feet.
Overall, there are many positives to take from Man City’s summer transfer window, but it can by no means be considered a perfect window as they failed to land all of their desired targets - the right-back position will need to be addressed in January - while those who have arrived will likely need time to prove themselves.
The Citizens are not alone in navigating change, as a number of rivals clubs have also made major adjustments to their squads. The new campaign therefore holds plenty of intrigue as fans across the globe wait to see how things unfold.
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