Pep Guardiola is on the verge of a reunion with his first transfer as Manchester City manager, while Ilkay Gündogan is moving closer to a sensational return to the Etihad.
Gündogan left City last summer to join Barcelona, but with the Spanish giants needing to cut wage bills and trim squad size, they will allow the German to return to City for free.
7
Guardiola gave the green light to the decision to sign Gundogan, which perhaps came as no great surprise given that the 33-year-old was his first signing since joining City in 2016.
Guardiola signed eleven players for a total of £184 million in the summer of 2016, but only six of them later played for City.
So who were these players, how much did they sign for and where are they now?
Ilkay Gündogan (£20 million from Borussia Dortmund)
The fact that Guardiola signed Gündogan as his first new signing as City boss says a lot about his admiration for Gündogan.
Guardiola obviously viewed Gündogan as a key player in helping him implement his notoriously complex and detail-oriented style of play.
Gündogan played over 300 games for City over the course of seven seasons and won an incredible 14 trophies during that time.
The 33-year-old aged like a fine wine during his first spell at the Etihad, scoring 29 of his 44 Premier League goals in his final three seasons for the club.
The return of their former captain could be just what City need in their quest for a fifth consecutive league title.
7
Nolito (£13.8m from Celta Vigo)
Guardiola added some Spanish flair to his attacking arsenal with Nolito, who joined after scoring 39 goals in 100 appearances for Celta Vigo in Spain.
However, the left winger only started nine league games for City and scored four goals, two of them in the second game of the season against Stoke City.
In addition to his goal tally, he also received warnings: three yellow cards and one red card.
Nolito’s time in Manchester lasted one season before he moved to Sevilla in July 2017.
After his last stints at Celta and Ibiza, he retired in June 2023.
7
Oleksandr Zinchenko (£1.7m from Ufa)
Zinchenko joined from Russian club FC Ufa on July 4 for just £1.7 million and was immediately loaned to Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.
But over the next five seasons, he quickly became an indispensable member of Guardiola and City’s team, with his versatility in particular proving crucial.
Zinchenko played predominantly as a left-back but could also play in midfield, making 128 appearances in all competitions for City before joining Arsenal for £30 million in 2022, where he remains.
7
Leroy Sane (£37m from Schalke)
Guardiola didn’t wait long and snapped up Sané from Schalke after the then teenager had shaken up the Bundesliga in the 15/16 season with eight goals in 33 appearances.
His debut season was marked by injuries, but it didn’t take long for Sané to get back on track and the German was voted PGA Young Player of the Year for the 17-18 season.
It didn’t take long for Bundesliga heavyweight Bayern Munich to come knocking, believing Sané would be an ideal replacement for elder statesmen Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.
A return to Germany seemed possible until Sané tore his cruciate ligament during the 2019 Community Shield.
City did their best to persuade him to stay, but ultimately Sané only wanted to join Bayern, and in July 2020 his wish finally came true when he moved for an initial £38 million.
7
John Stones (£47.5m from Everton)
Making the then 22-year-old Stones the second most expensive defender in the world was an incredibly brave decision by Guardiola. But in hindsight it has become clear that it was a wise investment.
He is the only player from Guardiola’s first transfer window not to leave the club and remains one of City’s main options for the centre-back position, despite being out for long periods from 2017 to 2020 due to various muscle injuries.
Stones, a centre-back known for his ability on the ball, showed last season that he can also play in defensive midfield as Guardiola preferred a centre-back duo of Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji.
He will be 32 when his contract expires in June 2026, but given that Guardiola has kept him at the club for so long, an extension may not be completely out of the question.
7
Claudio Bravo (£15.4m from Barcelona)
Guardiola wasted no time in causing unrest at the Etihad Stadium when he told Joe Hart, City’s goalkeeper and England international for nine years, that he no longer wanted him.
The new City boss did not believe that Hart would meet the requirements of a goalkeeper in his system and brought in Claudio Bravo from Barcelona.
However, Bravo only remained as City’s regular between the sticks for one season, as Guardiola paid £34.7 million for Ederson the following season.
Bravo remained at the Etihad as a substitute for three seasons before moving to Real Betis in the summer of 2020.
7