City’s 2026 transfer targets include a right-back, midfield reinforcements, and a Bernardo Silva replacement. Here are 5 signings that make sense.
Manchester City do not need a dramatic rebuild next season, but they are at the point where a few smart changes would do them a lot of good. The quality is still there, that much is apparent, only certain areas now feel a little less sharp, a little less balanced, and not quite as settled as they were when everything clicked so effortlessly back in 2023.
Obviously, the right-back stands out as one area that could really do with a proper long-term option. In addition, the midfield would benefit from more energy and invention, and when Bernardo Silva does move on in 2026, City will need someone who can help fill that creative gap.
City Cannot Afford Another Scattergun Window
Manchester City doesn’t need to splash the cash just for the sake of it. They need the right players, not the loudest names. In that sense, their recruitment should follow the same logic as browsing BestOnlineCasino's top-rated casino sites, where reviewed platforms, proven quality, and the latest bonuses matter more than flashy first impressions.
Man City’s 2026 transfer targets should be built around role fit, reliability, and players who genuinely raise the level rather than just make headlines.
Adam Wharton Would Give City Control with a Bit of Swagger
Rodri still sets the tone, but City needs more midfield control behind him and beside him. Adam Wharton looks like he's built for that problem. Sky Sports reported in March that Wharton was one of the midfielders on the lists of top Premier League clubs, including City. Transfermarkt values the Crystal Palace midfielder at €60 million, with his contract running to 2029.
Wharton can switch the play, break lines, receive under pressure, and keep the ball moving without slowing everything to walking pace. That is what City needs in the medium term. Too often, when Rodri is absent or heavily marked, City can become a bit mechanical in midfield.
Tino Livramento Would Solve the Right-Back Issue Properly
Even though Rico Lewis has signed a new five-year contract and Mateus Nunes has made the right-back position his own, City needs a proper one, and Tino Livramento is the answer.
Sky Sports reported in January that he had been a long-term City target, and fresh reporting this week says Newcastle could at least consider a sale if their broader summer requires one.
As a player, Livramento gives City exactly what the role has lacked at times: recovery speed, one-on-one defending, and the confidence to carry the ball up the pitch without looking like he is borrowing somebody else’s boots.
He is athletic, aggressive, and comfortable enough in possession to fit a Guardiola setup, but he is also more direct than some of City’s current in-house solutions. City have had enough games this season where the build-up has looked decent, but slightly sleepy.
Carlos Baleba Would Bring Power City Sometimes Lack
If Wharton is the silk shirt option, Carlos Baleba is the player you sign when you want to stop being shoved around in big games. Brighton’s midfielder has also been named among the midfielders on elite-club shortlists this spring, and he’s valued at €55 million.
Baleba would give City something a little different. He is dynamic, combative, and capable of eating up ground in midfield. In matches that become stretched, he looks like the sort of player who can tidy a mess before it becomes a disaster.
City have plenty of midfielders who can pass; the bigger question is whether they have enough who can dominate physically and then carry the ball forward with intent.
That is why Baleba is such an appealing option for Man City summer 2026 transfers. He would not only help Rodri, he would also help whoever manages City next if this turns into a tactical reset.
Morgan Rogers Would Be a Brilliant Bernardo-Adjacent Answer
This is the glamorous one, and yes, it would cost a fortune for Man City transfer targets 2026. But if City wants a player who can replace some of Bernardo Silva’s creativity while also adding drive and goals, Morgan Rogers is a fascinating fit.
TNT Sports recently reported that Pep’s future is part of the wider summer picture, while separate reports have suggested Rogers would be open to a move to one of the league’s biggest clubs. Transfermarkt values the Aston Villa attacking midfielder at €80 million and notes he is contracted until 2031.
Rogers is not Bernardo in miniature. He is more direct, more powerful, and more vertical. That is actually why he is interesting. City has signed enough neat footballers over the years. Rogers would bring a more direct approach.
He can play as an attacking midfielder, drift wide, drive through contact, and arrive in dangerous areas with real intent. And at 1.87 metres tall, he gives City a more imposing profile between the lines.
Elliot Anderson Would Be the Smart Squad-Plus Signing
Every good window needs one player who improves the first team but also raises the floor of the squad. Elliot Anderson feels like that signing. Sky Sports has reported that Anderson is amongst the top Manchester City transfer rumours 2026, apparently having already opened talks with his representatives.
Anderson is the kind of player managers love because he does not need a Twitter thread to explain what he does on the pitch. He runs, presses, carries, competes, and can play in more than one midfield role.
When City lose Bernardo and want to freshen the midfield without stuffing the squad with specialists, Anderson makes loads of sense. He can be a starter in some games, a chaos-sub in others, and a useful connector almost every week.
There is also something very City about the idea of signing a player who can do several jobs at once. Even if Pep leaves, Anderson still looks like the sort of midfielder who fits the club’s broader identity: technical enough, intense enough, and not remotely fazed by Premier League tempo.