Man City transfer news: Manuel Akanji to Galatasaray “would suit everyone” after “post-treble malaise”

Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany believes that Manuel Akanji joining Galatasaray this summer “would suit everyone” as he is currently ‘blocking the path’ for some of the club’s younger defenders to feature regularly under Pep Guardiola.

Akanji joined Man City for around £15m from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022 and ended his debut campaign with the Citizens as a treble winner, playing an important role in helping the club lift the Premier League, FA Cup and their first ever Champions League.

The Switzerland international has made a total of 136 appearances for Man City across all competitions, including 26 Premier League outings last season and three more at the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this summer.

Akanji, who has received criticism from some Man City supporters for his performances in recent months, turned 30 years old last weekend and with two years remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium, the defender has been linked with a potential switch to the Turkish Super Lig.

Recent reports claims that Galatasaray - who are also interested in both Ederson and Ilkay Gundogan - have enquired about the conditions of a summer deal to sign Akanji, who would need to agree to a salary reduction in order to join the Turkish champions, then they will in turn submit a formal bid.

“Akanji does potentially block the path for someone like Khusanov”

Sharing his thoughts on the possibility of Akanji leaving Man City this summer, McInerney told Sports Mole: “I'm fine with it. I definitely feel the more (players) that move on right now it's a good thing. I'm not one for pushing people out the door, but I think Akanji was probably at the scene of the crime far too many times last season.

“He's obviously a good player, but I think he's another that has had the post-treble malaise. It's definitely a thing at City where you can see some players have reached the top of the mountain and the only way is down a little bit. It's very hard to maintain those levels.

“Akanji was absolutely crucial to that treble-winning season. Before that I think it was considered a bit of a surprise when he moved to Man City as sort of a squad player. He'd been a good player but never been a great player at any point at Dortmund. I think he had that incredible upturn in form and since then he's been just good, as opposed to as great as he was [in the treble-winning] season.

“I think given his age and given the need to refresh - we’ve signed Vitor Reis, [Abdukodir] Khusanov, Juma Bah’s out on loan - I think we've got the young centre-backs there and I'm personally ready to see them given their chance.

“Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol is a really promising partnership, and after that I would like to see Khusanov and Vitor Reis get the chance to be the backups because they've got so much potential.

“I think if you're starting this rebuild, it makes an awful lot of sense and I think Akanji does potentially block the path for someone like Khusanov who was excellent when he played last season, or Vitor Reis who we've seen little of but what we have seen looks really promising.”

Guardiola may want to keep Akanji, but Galatasaray move “would suit everyone”

McInerney added: “I'm fine with Akanji moving on. I think he's another that could do with a fresh start somewhere else. I think Pep's very drawn to him, he likes him an awful lot and Pep's an incredible manager so he'd probably be right on that.

“But as a fan looking from the outside in, I think that Akanji’s levels have dipped a little bit and his concentration levels don't seem what they used to be. There's been a fair few mistakes from him and I think the hunger of youth, or new signings at least, is probably needed right now.

“I think Akanji moving to Galatasaray would suit everyone and I suspect there'll be negotiations on the contract front, I think they'll probably find a middle ground in terms of the wages if they both want it.

“I wouldn't be surprised if Pep wants to keep him, but I wouldn't be surprised at the same time (director of football) Hugo Viana and the football team are happy with him to move on, because I think it's maybe the right time.”

McInerney believes that Akanji is the “most likely” defender to leave Man City this summer, bearing in mind that both John Stones and Nathan Ake - who have previously been tipped to leave - are homegrown and are yet to attract strong interest from elsewhere.

“I would guess, given the homegrown situation, if one of them had to stay, I’d presume City would rather keep one of the homegrown players because there's no guarantee they can get [homegrown signings] through the door,” he added. “Akanji obviously is [taking up] one of the overseas squad positions.

Akanji ‘more likely’ to leave Man City than Stones, Ake this summer

“There's the smoke, so there's probably a fire there. I think Akanji is the most likely to leave. I think I can see him at Galatasaray, it just seems like a very Galatasaray transfer, very Manchester City solution to the problem.

“I expect Akanji is the most likely to leave, [but] I'd be amazed if one of Stones and Ake didn't (leave) because they can't keep themselves fit. Stones in particular, he wants to stay, but it's so quiet around them that I think City have a little bit of an issue there.

“Maybe [Stones] just stays and you don't have to worry about the squad being too big because he is never available anyway, and that sort of solves the problem for Guardiola in terms of squad positions and fitness.

“But at the same time, you have to keep the door open for younger players to make their mark and with Stones and Ake there, it makes it difficult for those other ones (to break through), but at the same time, they’re homegrown and you can't get around that necessary evil unfortunately.

“I expect the contingency plan is for one of those to stay and that's why Man City are probably a lot more comfortable with Akanji moving on.”

McInerney has also shared his thoughts on the possibility of 19-year-old defender Vitor Reis - a January signing from Palmeiras - heading out on loan amid reported interest from Man City’s sister club Girona.

> Click this link to view and listen to the full discussion.

Written by
Oliver Thomas