Manchester City are in the middle of a summer rebuild but squad rules could force them to take a different view as the transfer window progresses.
Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest is challenged by Phil Foden of Manchester City during the Premier League match between the two sides
Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest is a potential target for Manchester City
The early stages of Manchester City's summer transfer overhaul is focusing on adding quality to Pep Guardiola's squad, but as this window progresses, the club might have to make sacrifices to ensure they meet UEFA and Premier League rules.
The potential balancing act won't come as a surprise to the likes of Txiki Begiristain and Hugo Viana as they oversee City's pre-Club World Cup spending spree. If deals for Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki are completed, it will mean seven successive transfers since January that don't fill a homegrown quota in squad rules.
That isn't always be a problem, but it might be for City when outgoings are taken into account. The Blues didn’t have an issue filling those spots in squads submitted to UEFA and the Premier League last season, but a number of those players could be on their way out of the Etihad.
Under Premier League rules, eight members of a 25-man squad must be considered homegrown, which essentially means having been at an English club for three years before turning 21. For the Champions League, the figures are the same, but four of those eight players must have been at City for three years before turning 21.
Of those players who can help fill those slots, Jack Grealish, James McAtee, and Kyle Walker look certain to depart this summer. Third-choice goalkeeper Scott Carson's future is uncertain, John Stones' long-term future is hardly secure, and Josh Wilson-Esbrand, who was named in City's 2024/25 Premier League squad, could leave.
The good news is that the four academy-reared players required by UEFA rules should be fairly straightforward. Rico Lewis, Nico O'Reilly, Oscar Bobb and Phil Foden would all qualify and are all likely to be members of the first-team squad next season.
The other four slots might be harder to fill. Nathan Ake will be one. Carson and Stones would also tick that box, presuming both remain at the club.
Finding an eighth might be more difficult. Given City's potential issues at right-back, perhaps Wilson-Esbrand will stick around, although he didn't play for the club this season and had an underwhelming loan spell at Stoke City in the second half of the season.
City might still need to turn to the transfer market to fill one of these slots. If Carson departs, they might look for another English goalkeeper to play that third-choice role.
The most obvious quick fix is Morgan Gibbs-White, a player wanted by City this summer. Deals for Reijnders and Cherki might yet kill that move, especially given Nottingham Forest's lofty asking price, but circumstances could still make it more attractive.
There is plenty of time for things to change, of course. Squads must only be submitted after the closure of the transfer window in August, and as the final few weeks come into view, City will know how many of their homegrown players have headed for the exit. They will also know whether Gibbs-White, or anyone else, has come in to fill one or more of those gaps.
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