Pep Guardiola’s dream Man City XI for 2025-26: Summer rebuild includes 5 new signings…
After their first title miss in five seasons, Manchester City look in need of a rebuild as they attempt to return to the top step of the Premier League.
With City taking part in the Club World Cup, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said their new squad will be ready before the tournament starts on June 14 so City could move quickly on some big targets.
Here’s what we reckon is Pep Guardiola’s dream XI for the 2025-26 campaign:
GK: Diogo Costa
After the disaster of Claudio Bravo, Ederson relieved Guardiola of any goalkeeper concerns – but the Brazilian has looked fallible in recent years.
Still excellent with his feet – he registered four assists in the league last year – but he is not the best shot-stopper in the world.
He has made 54 saves, putting him in the middle of the pack in terms of Premier League keepers, and at 31, City are reportedly looking for alternatives.
Stefan Ortega proved to be an able deputy but is out of contract next year and City have been linked with Porto keeper Diogo Costa.
City are said to be keen on the 25-year-old but may need to offload Ederson and his £100k a week wages first.
RB: Rico Lewis
Lewis became a handy tool for Guardiola when he was faced with injuries not only at right-back but also in midfield.
The City academy graduate played 28 times in the league but most of those came at right-back following Kyle Walker’s departure to Milan.
The long-time City servant is back this summer but it seems his time at the club is coming to an end with the 20-year-old to take the spot on a permanent basis.
CB: Josko Gvardiol
Given City’s weakness at left-back, Gvardiol has been the one to fill in a gap and to his credit, was one of the team’s better players in an awful season.
He scored five goals last year but when he was able to play centrally, he was a key component in starting City’s attacks.
If the Manchester club does land Ait Nouri, Guardiola may well move Gvardiol into the middle on a permanent basis.
CB: Ruben Dias
He did not have his best season by any stretch but Dias remains the top-choice centre back at the club.
The Portuguese player is 28, meaning he is still at his peak, and is likely to be central to any City title push.
Just don’t ask him about how Southampton play their football.
LB: Rayan Ait Nouri
Likely to miss out on Milos Kerkez – who looks Liverpool-bound – City are instead targeting Wolves left-back Ait-Nouri.
The Algerian has impressed in his four seasons at Wolves but was one of the standout players in the 2024-25 campaign.
Having just received £62.5 million for the sale of Cunha, Wolves will be in no rush to sell but the player does have only 12 months on his current deal remaining, although the club can extend that by a further year.
CDM: Rodri
Rodri’s return from injury is, to use a cliche, like a new signing with the current Ballon d’Or holder featuring just four times for Man City last season.
He made his return in the final home game of the season, but Guardiola will be eager to not overuse him during the Club World Cup this summer to ensure he is at his best once the new Premier League campaign kicks off.
City’s plight last season was attributed to the loss of Rodri and, when fit, he is the first name on the teamsheet.
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CM: Tijjani Reijnders
It’s no secret that City’s midfield needs a refresh with the ageing Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan no longer able to produce in the way they once could.
With that in mind, Guardiola has reportedly targeted Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.
According to the Mirror, City have already agreed a £60 million fee with the Italian club to bring the Dutchman to the Etihad and he could be unveiled as early as this week.
Described as a blend of Silva and Gundogan, the midfielder could fill two roles at once in Guardiola’s system if he does make the move.
CM: Morgan Gibbs-White
With De Bruyne gone, City require some midfield reinforcement but look to have already missed out on Florian Wirtz.
With the Leverkusen star seemingly off to Liverpool, City may well focus their attention on English talent and go after Gibbs-White.
The midfielder was key to Forest’s Champions League push last season, but with the club coming up short the 25-year-old may look for a move away while his stock is high.
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RW: Rayan Cherki
Another name linked to City is 21-year-old Lyon playmaker Cherki.
A member of Lyon’s youth academy since 2010, he made his first team debut in 2019 but had his best season last year, creating 32 goal contributions in 44 games.
According to Fabrizio Romano, City are set to make their first offer this week with the player believed to be available for around the £20 million mark.
LW: Omar Marmoush
Signed from Eintracht Frankfurt in January, Marmoush hit the ground running in England and scored seven goals in 16 Premier League matches.
Direct, skilful and capable of scoring from the surface of the moon, the Egyptian will play a crucial role in City’s season next year.
ST: Erling Haaland
Haaland may not have hit the same peaks as his first two years at City but he still scored 22 goals in the league last season, a number only beaten by Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah.
He’s guaranteed to start.
