Foden close to new deal but Rodri and Ake futures cloud Man City's summer rebuild

Manchester City are navigating a pivotal summer with five key players entering the final year of their contracts, forcing the club to make significant decisions as they adapt to life under new manager Enzo Maresca.

The most straightforward case is Phil Foden. Despite a difficult second half to last season — a sharp drop from the form that earned him the Premier League Player of the Year award in 2024 — the 26-year-old boyhood Blue has broadly agreed terms on a new deal and is expected to remain at the Etihad.

The picture is far murkier for Rodri. The Spain midfielder has spoken openly about the possibility of playing in Madrid, fuelling speculation over his future. City are keen to extend his contract, but the 30-year-old’s need for surgery following the World Cup complicates any immediate resolution and adds a layer of uncertainty to what is already a delicate negotiation.

Nathan Ake is widely expected to leave in search of regular first-team football. The 31-year-old Netherlands international has admirers, and his departure may hinge partly on whether Ruben Dias — himself linked with Real Madrid — stays or goes. City are eager to retain Dias and have considered naming him club captain, but should he leave, Ake could yet remain as a fourth senior centre-back option alongside Marc Guehi, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Josko Gvardiol.

Mateo Kovacic barely featured last season due to injury but was preferred to Nico Gonzalez during the run-in. The Croatian’s prospects of a new contract appear slim, and the imminent £116 million arrival of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest only increases competition in central midfield. City and Kovacic must now decide whether a parting of the ways happens this summer or at the end of next season.

City enter this transitional period from a position of relative strength — they pushed the Premier League title race to the final week last season and won a domestic cup double — but the futures of these five players represent some of the most pressing questions Maresca must resolve before the new campaign begins.