Manchester City’s €100m Midfield Dream: Who Said No?
Manchester City ripped up their midfield this summer. Before they did, they tried to build it around one man: Aleksandar Pavlovic.
According to Bild, the 22-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder had been on City’s radar since March. Not just another name on a longlist, but the preferred option for the heart of their new-look midfield. City were ready to go big. €100 million big.
Pavlovic didn’t blink.
He had no interest in leaving Bayern for England, no matter how high the offer climbed. For him, the Allianz Arena was not a stepping stone, it was the destination.
By the spring, the picture in Manchester had already started to shift. Inside the club, it was understood that Pep Guardiola would step down, with Enzo Maresca lined up as his successor. A new coach, a new cycle, and a new midfield to build.
Maresca tried to make Pavlovic part of that reset. The Italian intervened personally, sounding out the Germany international and attempting to convince him to anchor his City side. The answer was still a firm no. With Pavlovic categorically ruling out a move, City never even put an official bid on the table.
So they pivoted. Hard.
What followed was a ruthless dismantling of the old guard. Rodri left for Barcelona. Bernardo Silva moved to Real Madrid. Tijjani Reijnders headed to Al-Qadsiah. Nico Gonzalez joined Newcastle. In a single window, City lost control, creativity and continuity in central midfield.
For a long stretch of the summer, there was just one major incoming for that area of the pitch: Elliot Anderson, signed from Nottingham for €135 million. One big piece, but nowhere near enough for a club trying to rebuild the core of its team.
The pressure finally told as the deadline loomed.
Shortly before the window shut, City plunged back into the market and added two more central midfielders. Ayyoub Bouaddi arrived from Lille for €95 million. Enzo Fernandez followed from Chelsea for €145 million. Three signings, three hefty fees, one frantic attempt to reconstruct the spine they had just torn apart.
The bill for central midfield alone: €375 million.
While City spent, Pavlovic stayed put.
The Bayern academy product, who came through the club’s youth system, had already enjoyed a breakout season in Munich. He made 44 competitive appearances for FCB last term, scoring four goals and providing two assists. His rise did not go unnoticed at international level either. Germany handed him his debut in June 2024, and he has already collected 15 caps.
So City move into a new era with a rebuilt, wildly expensive midfield that does not feature the man they first wanted. Pavlovic, meanwhile, remains at Bayern, established for club and country at 22 and turning down nine-figure interest from the Premier League champions.
In a market where almost everyone has a price, the most telling move of City’s summer might be the one that never happened.
