When Manchester City announced the departure of Txiki Begiristain, it was expected that they would struggle to find balance in the transfer window, as the man they had relied on for 12 years was leaving, and in a season where they had already lost their identity.

Additionally, a mass exodus has been planned, with the club keen to part ways with aging players who are past their prime and can no longer contribute significantly moving forward. Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, and others who have been the face of the club during their most successful era are all included.

However, the club moved swiftly, and in February 2025, confirmed the appointment of former Newcastle United midfielder Hugo Viana, previously at Sporting CP, as Begiristain’s replacement.

Less than a month after the end of the season, the club had already completed three major signings just in time for the FIFA Club World Cup. Rayan Cherki, Rayan Aït-Nouri, and Tijjani Reijnders have joined the Etihad for a combined £108 million in moves that not only strengthen the team but also reassure the fans of commitment the management to success.

Despite the work put in to ensure the deals were finalized in time to make the team competitive for the maiden edition of the revamped Club World Cup, the process was far from straightforward, and the events that unfolded only underscored the club’s resolve.

Having already secured signings that would be considered dream moves for many other clubs within the early weeks of the window, Manchester City appear to be setting the pace. They are not only strengthening for the summer tournament but also laying down early groundwork for the league and other competitions ahead.

From refusing to be bullied by Bayer Leverkusen to pulling off some of the smartest deals for modest fees, here’s how the Etihad landlords are already bossing the transfer window, even before summer has fully begun.

Manchester City Winning The Window

Earlier, Manchester City identified Florian Wirtz as the ideal heir to the throne vacated by Kevin De Bruyne, whose departure had been confirmed just weeks before the end of the season. The Belgian maestro has since been confirmed to have agreed a two-year deal with Napoli.

With Pep Guardiola directly involved in the process, City felt confident, especially with Bayern Munich as their main competition, given Leverkusen’s well-known reluctance to sell their stars to the Bavarians. However, things took a complicated turn when Liverpool entered the race, intensifying the battle for Wirtz’s signature.

Ultimately, Manchester City withdrew from the race, citing Leverkusen’s demands as unrealistic, allowing Liverpool a clear path to secure Florian Wirtz and smashing the British transfer record in the process, after agreeing to pay €150 million.

With Wirtz off the table, City quickly shifted focus to alternative targets, adding Rayan Cherki to their shortlist as a potential successor to Kevin De Bruyne.

They swiftly concluded the signing of Algerian left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri for a guaranteed £31 million fee, with an additional £5.3 million in potential add-ons. The 24-year-old penned a five-year deal, arriving as part of their effort to strengthen a backline that conceded 44 goals in the Premier League last season, their highest under Pep Guardiola since his arrival in 2016.

Ait-Nouri joined from Wolves, where he spent five seasons after arriving from Angers in 2020. He featured in nearly 150 matches across all competitions for the Molineux Landlords, registering 12 goals and 15 assists, with over 44 percent of those contributions coming in his final season.

Ait-Nouri is also an established Algerian international, earning 18 caps since making his debut in March 2023. Though he previously represented France at the youth level, he ultimately chose to pledge his allegiance to his country of birth at the senior level.

Just a day after unveiling Ait-Nouri, Manchester City confirmed the arrival of another Rayan, Cherki, in a £30.9 million move from Olympique Lyon.

Despite a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave for a reduced fee, City will feel they’ve secured a bargain for a player widely regarded as having world class potential, and will likely transition quickly into their team.

Cherki had been on the radar of several top European clubs following his decision to leave Lyon this summer. He came closest to joining Borussia Dortmund in the January window, but the move was blocked by Lyon and club owner Jean-Michel Aulas.

With a summer departure inevitable, City acted swiftly to secure the playmaker, who ended the Ligue 1 season as joint top assist provider and was named Best Young Player in the UEFA Europa League. He signed a five-year contract with the Premier League giants.

A product of the Lyon academy, Cherki spent his entire professional career at the club since debuting in 2019. Over 185 appearances in all competitions, he registered 40 assists, half of which came during his 44 outings last season, and scored 29 goals, including 12 in the recently concluded campaign.

After a stunning individual campaign, the 21-year-old joins City, where he will be tasked with filling the boots of Kevin De Bruyne, who had shouldered the club's creative burden for over a decade.

Tijjani Reijnders was also announced. He had been one of the club's earliest targets for the summer, and with no competition and Milan open to selling, it quickly became clear he would become one of Pep Guardiola's new additions once personal terms were agreed.

City and Milan ultimately settled on an initial £46.6 million fee, with further add-ons included. Reijnders then signed a five-year deal, bringing an end to his two-year spell with the Rossoneri.

The Dutch midfielder, 26, joined Milan two summers ago and made 106 appearances, scoring 20 goals, 16 of which came last season, making him the highest-scoring central midfielder from open play across Europe’s top five leagues.

Reijnders, who is expected to partner Rodri at the base of Manchester City’s midfield in a more advanced role, also registered seven assists for Milan. It was during his time with Milan that he firmly established himself as a regular for the Netherlands national team.

Another addition, though perhaps not as headline grabbing, is Marcos Bettinelli. The 33-year-old goalkeeper joined from Chelsea for a nominal fee, arriving as a replacement for Scott Carson, who is set to end his six-year stint with Manchester City when his contract expires later this month.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, are also making strides. They’ve secured Xabi Alonso as their new manager, signed Trent Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer, and activated Dean Huijsen’s £50 million release clause from Bournemouth. However, their inability to finalize a deal for another prime target, Alvaro Carreras, from Benfica, in time for the Club World Cup leaves them trailing City in early transfer efficiency.

Liverpool, who have signed Jeremie Frimpong as Trent Alexander-Arnold's replacement and are closing in on deals for both Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez, which is also an interesting business for the Premier League winners, but it is their compatriot from Manchester that have done the starter business.

Pep Guardiola's charge is now in better shape for the FIFA World Cup and can fancy themselves as one of the favorites in the United States, where an interesting tournament awaits football fans around the world.