Manchester City defender considering exit amid AC Milan interest and Hugo Viana worries | OneFootball

AC Milan have entered the race to sign Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji in the final days of the summer transfer window, as per a new report.

Akanji has two years remaining on his current deal at the Etihad Stadium and is a member of the pool of Manchester City first-team squad members that the board are willing to sell for the right price before the September 1 transfer deadline.

The 30-year-old joined Manchester City on deadline day of the 2022 summer transfer window, helping Pep Guardiola and co win a historic treble in his first year in England and often filling in for the injured John Stones and Nathan Ake.

However, Josko Gvardiol forged a convincing partnership alongside Ruben Dias in the closing stages of the recent campaign and with John Stones also allowed to enter the final year of his Manchester City contract, Akanji will be allowed to leave in the event of a suitable offer.

Galatasaray have reportedly seen a £15 bid for Akanji accepted at the Etihad Stadium, a claim whose legitimacy has been publicly contested by the Switzerland international on social media in recent weeks.

However, it has been maintained that Manchester City have accepted an offer for the centre-half and that Akanji’s representatives have since flown to Turkey to conduct face-to-face talks with Galatasaray.

Fabrizio Romano has further reported that AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace have also entered the race to sign Akanji, who is considering his future at Manchester City and assessing his options in the closing days of the transfer window.

Furthermore, City would still allow the £15 million sale to Galatasaray but it is believed that Akanji is not keen on moving to Turkey and is keen to stay put at the Etihad Stadium into the final years of his current deal.

City have conducted a significant revamp of their first-team squad over the summer, with the notable departures of Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker launching a window that has witnesses six new incomings and many more exits.

James McAtee has joined Nottingham Forest for £30 million, with Jack Grealish, Vitor Reis, Claudio Echeverri and summer arrival Sverre Nypan moving to Everton, Girona, Bayer Leverkusen and Middlesbrough respectively on loan for the 2025-26 campaign.

Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli, Rayan Cherki and James Trafford have been brought in as first-team reinforcements as Guardiola looks to challenge for major trophies in the coming seasons after signing a new deal in 2024 that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium till the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

However, the Manchester City manager has requested for further departures from his bloated first-team contingent and after a brutal reality check at the hands of Tottenham last week, it has been reported that newly-appointed director of football Hugo Viana is considering potential openings in the transfer market in its final lap.