Hugo Viana facing uncertainty over futures of Manchester City first-team trio in January | OneFootball

A trio of Manchester City first-team players are mulling over their future at the Etihad Stadium ahead of the 2026 January transfer window, as per a new report.

City made sweeping changes to their first-team roster in the summer transfer window upon the appointment of Hugo Viana as director of football and the club enduring a sobering and trophyless 2024-25 campaign that Pep Guardiola labelled the most challenging year of his managerial career.

In his annual, end-of-season review of the previous campaign, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak went as far as admitting the club should have recruited much more heavily in the summer of 2024 – when Guardiola’s men made history after winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title.

After replacing Txiki Begiristain as City’s sporting director, Viana signed off on the exits of Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Scott Carson, James McAtee, Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson in his first summer in charge at the Etihad Stadium – with the Portuguese pulling no punches and launching a new era in the blue half of Manchester.

City added seven new signings to their first-team ranks this summer and despite a rocky start that left the Blues languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League at the end of August, Guardiola’s men have gotten their act together and sit four points behind league leaders Arsenal after 11 games.

Viana received huge plaudits for his shrewd acquisitions of Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and above all, Gianluigi Donnarumma, in the summer, though Manchester City are not expected to be nearly as active in the January 2026 transfer window.

Nathan Ake is set to hold honest talks with Guardiola as his 2026 FIFA World Cup fate hangs in the balance following a barren run of game time at the Etihad Stadium, with Dutch boss Ronald Koeman telling the 30-year-old that he needs to play regularly at club level to stake a claim for a World Cup starting spot.

Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji left City on season-long loans in the summer for similar reasons, with Ake only making his first Premier League start in six months when he lined up alongside Ruben Dias in central defence in a 2-0 win over Everton in October.

Now, according to Mail Sport’s Jack Gaughan, there are at least two others – in addition to Ake – who are weighing up their positions within Guardiola’s squad – and it remains to be seen how such situations develop in the coming weeks.

Where several Manchester City first-team stars rank in the pecking order in their respective National Team sides is likely to determine whether Viana will receive a knock on his door over possible exits in the January transfer window.

City allowed club captain Bernardo Silva and John Stones to enter the final year(s) of their respective contracts in the summer and the Blues face huge certainty over the pair, who are amongst the longest-serving members of Guardiola’s current group – alongside Phil Foden.

Though City and Guardiola will not block an exit for any player wanting to leave, the club will only listen to offers that match their asking price and as things stand, Ake could stand to benefit with a move away from the Etihad Stadium in January – whether a permanent one or a six-month loan – to give his World Cup chances a much-needed boost.