Enzo Maresca has made it clear that Manchester City are not done in this window. Speaking in Hong Kong, he said the club are talking with Hugo about players, are looking at different positions and will do something, while three senior players are due to arrive tomorrow, too late to feature against Inter.

More business is coming

The clearest line from Maresca was not subtle. “We are talking with Hugo and the club about some players, for sure we are going to do something, we are looking at different positions,” he said. He also added that the squad is currently full of young players and that he is happy to work with the ones who are there.

That is the practical picture for City right now. The squad is still being filled out after the return from World Cup duty, and Maresca said the senior arrivals will follow slowly, with the next three due in Hong Kong but not available for the Inter game.

Rodri and Phil Foden in the mix

Maresca also leaned into how important Rodri remains to the team. He said Rodri had surgery last Monday and would return after his holiday. On the same day, he framed Phil Foden as a player he wants happy and in good condition, saying that version of Foden can help City win games and titles.

The transfer noise around Ayyoub Bouaddi sits inside that wider rebuild. Reports have differed on the exact state of the deal, with one outlet saying City were accelerating talks for a planned €90 million offer and Lille wanted at least €100 million, while another reported advanced talks over an £86 million deal. What does line up is the scale of the ambition. City have already committed £116 million to Elliot Anderson, and Bouaddi would add a different kind of midfield bet, with a recent 5-match rating of 6.63 and 5 appearances in the season sample.

The immediate takeaway is simple enough. City are still working on more than one position, the senior players are only just filtering back, and the market picture around Bouaddi is still being shaped by competing reports rather than a finished deal. Maresca has said enough to show the window is still open for business, and the next public checkpoint is the Inter match after the three late arrivals land in Hong Kong.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →