Man City deem first-team midfielder surplus to requirements after record Elliot Anderson capture | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic has been told he is free to find a new club this summer, according to reports.

The former Inter, Real Madrid and Chelsea player was signed by Pep Guardiola in June 2023 for an initial fee of £25m and has gone on to make 97 appearances for the club.

However, only nine of those games came across an injury-hit 2025-26 season; the 32-year-old was sidelined with an ankle problem while City battled to win the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

Report: Kovacic deemed surplus to requirements by Man City

Now, Football Insider claim that the Croatian has been deemed “surplus to requirements” at the Etihad Stadium and he is likely to leave Manchester before the transfer window closes.

City’s midfield has been strengthened already this summer by the arrival of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for a club record £116 million transfer fee – and further incomings could be on the cards despite the previously linked Sandro Tonali having joined Tottenham for £100 million.

Kovacic impressed potential suitors at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and was one of the bright spots as Croatia were narrowly knocked out by Portugal in Toronto.

What does this mean for the Kovacic’s immediate Man City future?

It remains to be seen whether he will feature on City’s Asia Tour, which will take up the first half of August ahead of the FA Community Shield against Arsenal.

The tour could serve as a good indication of what new boss Enzo Maresca wants out of his midfield players, and whether Kovacic is part of these plans.

If he does move on, he will follow John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Nathan Ake out of the door this summer as director of football Hugo Viana revamps the Manchester City ranks ahead of the beginning of pre-season later this month.