Manchester City line up prior to a Premier League match against Chelsea in January
Manchester City are braced for a busy summer
Hugo Viana has had a few months to get his feet under the table at the Etihad, now he's getting his hands dirty.
City's new director of football is plotting a path through a summer window where chairman Khaldoon Al Murbarak wants swift and decisive transfer business.
The Blues are closing in on moves for Wolves left back Rayan Ait-Nouri and AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders at a likely combined cost of more than £100million. And with Pep Guardiola having spoken of his desire to operate with a reduced squad next term to avoid leaving big players out of big games, exits are inevitable.
And in shaping their squad for the new campaign, City must look ahead 12 months to ensure they are planning and preparing for what might come in 2026.
The Blues have half a dozen key players who are about to enter the final year of their contracts, and this summer feels a pivotal time for all six in terms of how much of a role they will play moving forward, if any at all.
Goalkeepers Ederson and Stefan Ortega, centre back John Stones, and midfield trio Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and James McAtee all see their contracts expire in 12 months time.
The latter seems destined to leave the Etihad this summer having joined up with England Under-21s for the European Championships rather than travel to the Club World Cup with City. McAtee has plenty of suitors and was overlooked by Pep Guardiola for large swathes of last season.
The remaining five all have question marks against them. Gundogan has triggered a 12 month extension to the deal he signed last year when returning from Barcelona and has spoken of his desire to stay and his ambitions moving forward.
Guardiola confirmed this week that he expects Ederson and Ortega to be his two keepers moving into next term, although City must surely offer at least one a new contract to ensure they don't lose both on a free transfer in a year's time.
Decisions must be taken this summer on Stones and Bernardo. The latter has been linked with an exit for years while Stones has suffered with his fitness but is arguably City's best centre back when fully fit.
If the long-term plan doesn't involve either, then cashing in this summer makes sense. The prospect of allowing Silva, Stones and Ederson - who arrived for a combined cost of £106million - feels like poor planning even if their length of service and on-pitch ability mean the trio have repaid that initial outlay and more.
With City set to strengthen this summer, conversations will need to be had and decisions made as the Blues plot a path back to the top at home and abroad.
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