Anderson signed but City's midfield rebuild is far from over as Grealish and Bouaddi situations remain unresolved

Manchester City have agreed a club-record £116 million deal to sign Elliot Anderson, but incoming sporting director Hugo Viana faces a complex summer of business with multiple positions still unsettled ahead of Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League campaign.

Anderson’s arrival was intended as a statement of intent, yet the midfield he will join remains far from settled. Bernardo Silva has left on a free transfer, and doubts hang over four current midfielders: Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders, Rodri and Mateo Kovacic — the latter two entering the final year of their contracts. How many Maresca retains will determine how aggressively City move in the market for further additions.

Among the midfield targets City are monitoring are Sandro Tonali, who is also wanted by Tottenham, and Moroccan teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi. City are described as ready to move for players in that area under the right circumstances, though the number of signings required depends heavily on outgoings.

At right-back, City’s recent activity reveals their thinking. They held interest in Marco Palestra but showed little appetite to compete with Chelsea at £45 million, and even less to meet an asking price of £75 million for Malo Gusto. Matheus Nunes has been backed as the first-choice option in that position, meaning any new arrival would be competing for the shirt rather than inheriting it — a stance that will be reflected in City’s price bracket.

On the outgoings side, Savinho is attracting interest from Tottenham, while James Trafford is expected to have several options following the World Cup. City would need to replace either player if they depart. Ruben Dias and Omar Marmoush have also received interest from other clubs, and Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips are both expected to be moved on again this window after failing to find exits last summer.

Vitor Reis is hoping to return to Manchester following a successful loan at Girona, while youth prospects Claudio Echeverri and Sverre Nypan are expected to head out on loan.

The World Cup has slowed the pace of transfer activity, but City anticipate business accelerating from mid-July as clubs return for pre-season. Having gone to the final day of the window last summer, they are prepared to do so again as several situations remain active.