Manchester City respond to €7.5M offer for defender amid John Stones transfer talk | OneFootball

Manchester City have responded to an offer worth €7.5 million for academy graduate Callum Doyle after the defender’s return from a season on loan at Norwich City, as per a new report.

Doyle made 43 appearances in all competitions for Norwich City last season, adding a wealth of regular first-team football to his CV and raising his stock as he explores the next chapter of his career, which is set to be away from the Etihad Stadium.

The 21-year-old has two years remaining on his current deal at Manchester City but is highly likely to seek a permanent exit this summer, with no obvious route into Pep Guardiola’s squad for the highly-rated English centre-half at this stage of his career.

City are heavily stocked in central defence and added to their options in the position with the January signings of Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis – both of whom are expected to be part of the first-team squad next season.

Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias formed a convincing pairing at centre-back in the closing months of the recent season, with Gvardiol finally moving to his natural position following the emergence of academy graduate Nico O’Reilly.

Nathan Ake, John Stones and Manuel Akanji also struggled for fitness at several stages of the 2024-25 campaign but have travelled with the Manchester City squad to the United States for the FIFA Club World Cup.

There is a general acceptance that City need to part ways with one of their senior centre-halves as the transfer window progresses to make room within their bloated squad, with Stones linked with a departure as he enters the final year of his contract – having struggled with recurring injuries in the last 12 months.

A loan move for Reis – who has barely featured since joining from Palmeiras in January – has been mooted but it is understood that Guardiola wants the 19-year-old Brazilian to be part of his first-team squad heading into the new season.

As per a new report by Tuttomercatoweb, relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City have rejected an opening bid worth €7.5 million for academy graduate Callum Doyle following the defender’s return from a season on loan at Norwich City.

Doyle has two years remaining on his existing contract at his boyhood club and after an eye-catching season in the second-tier of English football, suitors will not be few and far between for the young Englishman.

Manchester City have placed a €15 million asking price for Doyle, who is likely to be pushing for a permanent departure away from his parent club to progress his career as a route into the first-team at the Etihad Stadium seems highly unlikely.

Should City decide against sanctioning a permanent sale this time round, the England U-21 international could look to another loan away to bolster his prospects of starting a new chapter next summer, when he will have only 12 months left on his deal and will warrant a much lower fee to switch clubs permanently.