Man City star Phil Foden caught the eye of big European clubs in a surprising transfer deal
Manchester City star Phil Foden could be heading for a surprising move this summer, according to reports from Turkey. Foden, who was controversially left out of England’s World Cup squad, has spent his whole career at City, coming up through their academy.
He made his debut when he was just 17 and has since played 369 games for City, scoring 110 goals and winning every trophy available. However, last season was tough for him, and now there are talks about his future as a new season approaches. City will be managed by Enzo Maresca, who took over from Pep Guardiola.
Foden has just one year left on his contract at the Etihad Stadium. Turkish news outlet Fanatik says Galatasaray are keen to sign him. They see Foden as the perfect player to be their new No.10. Besides Galatasaray, other European clubs are also watching him, with his value estimated at €70 million.
Though Foden has always been a true City player, rumors say he might be open to leaving because he didn’t get much playing time last season. It’s surprising since he always said he wanted to stay at City for his whole career. Still, Galatasaray are pushing hard, hoping to bring him together with his old teammates Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogan.
An agent named George Gardi, who has strong connections to Galatasaray, is leading the effort to make this happen and has been the first to suggest targeting Foden. But Galatasaray’s search doesn’t stop there—they’re also interested in Manchester United’s captain Bruno Fernandes. Plus, they’ve been chatting about signing Can Uzun from Eintracht Frankfurt and Julio Enciso, a Paraguay international who plays for Strasbourg in Ligue One.
Even with all this talk, in May reports said Foden had agreed to extend his City contract. The BBC and others said he signed a new four-year deal with an option for another year. City hasn’t officially announced anything yet. Meanwhile, Foden’s been enjoying some downtime, appearing at Wimbledon and Silverstone after missing out on England’s World Cup squad.
He’s expected back for pre-season training on July 20. City will then head to Asia for a tour with matches against Inter Milan, the K-League All Stars, and Atletico Madrid in Hong Kong and South Korea. After that, City will focus on the Community Shield game against Premier League champions Arsenal on August 16 at the Principality Stadium, before starting the new season away at Bournemouth on August 23.