Enzo Maresca is poised to become the new Manchester City manager and will quickly confront a significant transfer decision regarding defender Josko Gvardiol. Maresca, who departed Chelsea by mutual consent earlier this year, previously served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant during City’s treble-winning 2022-23 campaign and has been selected as Guardiola’s replacement following the Spaniard’s final match on Sunday.
City are preparing for a squad overhaul this summer with Bernardo Silva and John Stones already confirmed to be leaving as free agents upon the expiration of their contracts in July. Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson is widely anticipated to be Maresca’s first signing, with personal terms reportedly agreed, while the club will also seek a new forward should Savinho depart amid interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
Barcelona have emerged as strong contenders to sign Gvardiol, identifying the Croatian centre-back as a priority target to bolster their defence. According to Spanish outlet COPE, Barcelona have shifted their focus to Gvardiol after accepting Alessandro Bastoni will remain at Inter Milan. Gvardiol has two years remaining on his current contract at the Etihad Stadium.
The 2025-26 season saw Gvardiol make 25 appearances across all competitions, hampered by a broken leg. During his absence, City’s academy graduate Nico O’Reilly established himself at left-back and is expected to feature for England at the upcoming World Cup. With Marc Guehi and Abdukodir Khusanov forming a solid centre-back partnership, Maresca must now decide whether to allow Gvardiol to leave or retain him as a valuable squad member.
