Manchester City have made elliot anderson their top target to replace Bernardo Silva, but Tottenham Hotspur’s push for Sandro Tonali has complicated the rest of their summer midfield plans. City can still move for more than one midfielder, yet the Tonali chase has started to shape how far they are willing to go on the market.
City’s Anderson priority
Anderson is the first name on City’s list for the midfield role. The Nottingham Forest midfielder has emerged as the leading option for a squad move that City know they need to make after identifying Bernardo Silva’s replacement as a summer requirement.
City are not working with a single-track plan. Tonali is among the other midfield names on their radar, which gives them flexibility if their preferred target becomes too expensive or unavailable. The club could sign more than one midfielder this summer, but the spending is expected to stay well short of a £200million outlay on two central midfielders.
Tonali and Tottenham
Tottenham’s entry into the Tonali race changes the shape of the market. Newcastle would not consider selling the 22-year-old for anything less than £100m, and Roberto De Zerbi wants Tonali to form part of his rebuild. That combination has left Spurs in direct competition with other clubs tracking the Newcastle midfielder.
For City, Tonali has become more than a secondary name on a shortlist. If Tottenham push hard enough to draw Newcastle into a sale, City’s own midfield calculations could shift again, especially with Anderson still their preferred answer in the middle of the pitch.
Savinho and Trafford
The ripple effects do not stop in midfield. Tottenham have held long-term interest in Manchester City winger Savinho, and a £60m bid would get the deal done. That gives City another possible summer decision if Tottenham continue to press their Tonali move and reshape the wider negotiation landscape.
James Trafford sits in a separate but related position. The goalkeeper returned to the Etihad Stadium this summer believing he would be No.1, but Gianluigi Donnarumma’s arrival changed his situation. Trafford said at the World Cup that he may need to seek regular first team football if he is to achieve his international ambitions, and Newcastle could move for him if Tonali leaves. He would cost around £40m.
City’s midfield plan now runs through Anderson, Tonali and the knock-on moves around them. If Spurs keep driving the Tonali pursuit, the same summer could pull Savinho and Trafford into the same chain of deals.
