Enzo Maresca’s big Man City exit looks like it will keep going, with talks starting for another player to leave.
It looks like Enzo Maresca’s big Manchester City reshuffle is still going strong, with talks starting about another player potentially leaving the club.
It’s been a summer full of changes at City. Maresca has stepped in to replace Pep Guardiola, who finished an amazing 10-year run as City’s manager. The club also said goodbye to legends Bernardo Silva and John Stones, who moved to Real Madrid and Inter Milan after their contracts ended.
Tijjani Reijnders is heading to Al Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia for £52 million after only one season with City. And to make things tougher, City’s key midfielder Rodri has officially joined Barcelona for £65.4 million, which is a big hit to City’s chances to win the Premier League this year.
On the plus side, City made a big signing, bringing in Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for a club-record £116 million. They also renewed goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli’s contract for two more years.
Even though City looks a bit thin in midfield, David Ornstein from The Athletic says that Nico Gonzalez might be leaving too. Newcastle is starting talks to sign the former Barcelona academy player. The Magpies need a midfielder after selling Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes to Spurs and Arsenal for a total of £185 million.
The talks are described as “exploratory.” Gonzalez joined City from Porto for £52 million during the January transfer window in 2025. He was brought in when City had midfield problems after Rodri got a serious knee injury. Gonzalez played 59 times for City and even scored the winning goal in the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton last season.
However, he’s had fewer chances lately, starting only two games after January and not included in the squad during the season’s final games. People thought Maresca’s appointment might boost his role, but he’s currently behind Mateo Kovacic, who started in City’s recent Community Shield loss to Arsenal. Gonzalez only got 11 minutes off the bench in that game.
Gonzalez trained at Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy and has skills similar to Rodri and Sergio Busquets. At Porto, he developed into a strong box-to-box midfielder, using his physical strength well.
He’s just 24 and has a contract until 2029. He hasn’t asked to leave. In fact, earlier this month, he said he wants to stay at City and doesn’t mind playing less because there’s tough competition. After a friendly win in South Korea, Gonzalez said, “I’m happy here. I don’t want to leave and I think the club wants me to stay. I haven’t seen anything else. I know there is competition for places, and that’s what helps us keep winning.”
Meanwhile, City is close to signing Lille’s young Moroccan star Ayyoub Bouaddi, who’s only 18, in an £85 million deal.