Fresh off the back of what Erling Haaland described as a “boring” season, Manchester City are looking to bring back the excitement amid what has been a hectic start to the transfer window at the Etihad.
With the intriguing Club World Cup on the horizon, Pep Guardiola’s side have acted swiftly in order to bolster their ranks for the competition, with a deal having been agreed for AC Milan sensation, Tijjani Reijnders.
The capture of the Netherlands international – who had joined the Serie A side from AZ Alkmaar back in 2023 – is expected to cost an initial fee of around €55m (£46m), thus providing Guardiola with further depth in the midfield department.
Elsewhere, meanwhile, the Citizens are “advancing” their pursuit of Wolverhampton Wanderers star, Rayan Ait-Nouri, with his namesake – Rayan Cherki – also agreeing personal terms.
A bid is expected to be lodged for a player who could cost just £25m to prise from Lyon, having registered 32 goals and assists in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side at the age of just 21.
The suggestion is that the Frenchman could well be a “future Ballon d’Or winner”, according to The Athletic’s Alex Barker. Perhaps the same is true of a potentially even more exciting summer target…
Man City make move for Premier League sensation
Hoovering up Britain’s best young talent has been a common theme of the City recruitment drive in recent years, with notable arrivals including the West Ham United pairing of Divin Mubama and Divine Mukasa – the latter of whom registered 42 goals and assists in just 41 games at youth level in 2024/25.
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That youth-centric transfer approach only looks set to continue, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano having revealed that the Manchester side have agreed a deal for Sheffield Wednesday striker Caelan Cadamarteri.
Such news also comes amid reports which suggest that City are hoping to raid Arsenal for the signing of teenage sensation, Max Dowman, with Football Transfers noting that the 2023 treble winners, as well as Barcelona, have ‘expressed interest’ in the Hale End star.
As per the report, both clubs are believed to have made ‘initial approaches’ to ‘signal their interest’ in the England youth international, albeit with the Gunners determined to keep hold of their 15-year-old prodigy.
The suggestion is that City would look to offer a similar pathway to that of Phil Foden, who was carefully nurtured and developed before cementing a first-team role for himself, with Barca said to be at a disadvantage as Dowman would not be able to join until he turns 18.
Any potential excitement over signing a player who doesn’t turn 16 until December may appear premature, although all the signs point to the teenager being a genuine star of the future.
Why Man City should sign Dowman
As noted by Football Transfers, Arsenal are desperate to avoid letting their homegrown diamond depart, and why wouldn’t they be? This is a player who, despite his youth, is already earning rave reviews from across the game.
Already part of first-team training in north London – amid the confirmation that he will join the pre-season tour this summer – Dowman has been given the backing of senior teammate Declan Rice, who described him as the “best 15-year-old in the country”.
Such words have been echoed by Arsenal insider, Will Balsam, who has claimed that the in-demand playmaker is the “biggest talent in England”. Talent scout Jacek Kulig, meanwhile, has hailed Dowman as the “most exciting prospect” he has seen “since Yamine Lamal”.
It is those words which showcase just why the rising star is earning admiring glances from some of Europe’s elite clubs, while equally, it also illustrates why he could prove to be an even more exciting capture than the mercurial Cherki.
Indeed, it does appear that a first senior appearance is a matter of when and not if for the Emirates ace, not least having already registered 30 goals and assists in just 25 U18 appearances for the club, as per Transfermarkt.
Nicholas Oyekunle – Southampton
23
27
4
Luca Williams-Barnett – Spurs
20
19
9
Reigan Heskey – Man City
19
18
7
Dan Casey – Arsenal
21
18
1
Divine Mukaka – Man City
20
16
15
Marcus Neill – Sunderland
22
16
6
Victor Musa – Man Utd
19
16
3
Max Dowman – Arsenal
15
15
5
Matty Warhurst – Man City
21
15
2
Charles Ebuka Agbawodikeizu
14
15
0
Comfortable on the right flank or in a central role – much like Cherki – Dowman is a simply joyous talent to witness, possessing a wand of a left foot and a dazzling ability to breeze past defenders.
That was evident during the club’s FA Youth Cup run, as he put in a statement display in the semi-final clash with Manchester United, despite ending up on the losing side, having notably won and converted a penalty for the Gunners following a surging solo run from deep.
Described as a ‘superstar in the making’ by the Standard’s Simon Collings following that 3-2 loss, Dowman appears destined to follow in the footsteps of Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly under Mikel Arteta – provided Guardiola and co don’t make their move, of course.
While landing a talent like Cherki is nothing to be sniffed at, being able to secure arguably the ‘biggest talent in England’ from one of your Premier League rivals would certainly take the biscuit.
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