Revealed: The six days that changed Rico Lewis’ Manchester City future | OneFootball

Rico Lewis’ Manchester City future was clarified within the space of just six days, a new report has revealed while detailing interest from Nottingham Forest.

The 20-year-old full-back has long been regarded as one of the brightest talents to emerge from City’s Academy in recent years, but questions over his role in Pep Guardiola’s squad surfaced at the start of the summer.

Despite his versatility and technical intelligence, Lewis had not yet secured guaranteed minutes at senior level, prompting rival Premier League clubs to circle. Nottingham Forest were among the most persistent, sensing an opportunity to lure the England international.

Manchester City, meanwhile, have been reshaping their squad in several areas. With uncertainty over defensive names such as Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake, and the potential departure of Kalvin Phillips finally on the horizon, the future of homegrown talents like Lewis has taken on new importance.

Executives at the Etihad Stadium have recently spoken of their long-term ambition to build a core of local players within Pep Guardiola’s squad, placing Lewis alongside the likes of Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly as players central to those plans.

It is also worth remembering that this summer has been dominated by speculation around other Academy graduates, most notably James McAtee, who joined Nottingham Forest in a big-money permanent move.

According to the information of MailSport’s Jack Gaughan, Nottingham Forest were negotiating with City for a week for Rico Lewis, in conjunction with signing McAtee, and believed that a deal could have been closed.

It is further detailed that several rounds of talks were held between Manchester City’s director of football Hugo Viana, counterparts at the City Ground, and those in Rico Lewis’ camp, before the player himself was called into Pep Guardiola’s office.

When speaking with the Manchester City manager, the report reveals that Lewis plainly stated leaving the club was not his preference and on the Sunday, following the 0-4 victory over Wolves at Molineux, Lewis bumped into Viana and relayed a similar stance.

48 hours later, Rico Lewis had effectively agreed to a new five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium, the report highlights.

Looking ahead, Lewis’ new deal is likely to have significant implications for Pep Guardiola’s tactical planning. His ability to step into midfield from full-back could prove essential as City adapt to a new cycle under Guardiola.

With fixtures piling up from September onwards and manager Guardiola continuing to demand tactical flexibility, Rico Lewis could see far more minutes across multiple positions this season.

Moreover, Manchester City’s insistence on keeping him reflects a wider trend: the club want their Academy products not only to supplement the squad but to become genuine leaders on the pitch.

As Phil Foden has already proven, embedding local players into the first-team fabric strengthens both identity and long-term planning. If Rico Lewis now kicks on, he may soon find himself following Phil Foden’s path from exciting prospect to indispensable figure in Pep Guardiola’s most trusted XI.