Manchester City have already seen movement both ways in the summer transfer window.
Ilkay Gundogan has left on a free transfer to Barcelona after seven years at the club, and the day after Pep Guardiola lost a No.8 another one walked through the door in Mateo Kovacic. The 29-year-old joins from Chelsea for an initial £25m and has been talked up for the ability to play two different roles in central midfield.
Whether that swap is seen as part of a revolutionary summer or an evolutionary one largely depends on Bernardo Silva. The Portugal international will be allowed to leave again this summer if he brings a suitable bid, but the club have been here before on more than one occasion and such an offer has not been forthcoming.
Bernardo is set to be pivotal because he is the most high-profile player left this summer that is up for grabs. When City clinched their first Champions League earlier this month, it was Gundogan who kept possession of the ball before Bernardo ran onto Manu Akanji's pass and laid it back for Rodri to score the only goal of the game.
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For City to kick off next season without either Gundogan or Bernardo in their engine room would have the feel of a different team, another version of Guardiola's side that will take some bedding in and adaptation as happened last summer when multiple first-teamers left. However, if it is just the German gone then the squad will have the sort of feel of the years between 2018 and 2021 when there was limited change and only one or two marquee signings.
Josko Gvardiol is wanted by City to add to the defence to be one of those, although he may not change too much given he will add to the wealth of centre-backs at the club and Aymeric Laporte will likely leave. Kyle Walker would be a significant departure and Riyad Mahrez's absence would be felt, although there were enough times last season when they were out of favour with other players preferred.
The fact that City did not feel the need to meet Arsenal's £100m offer plus extras for Declan Rice was in part because of the players they already have assembled - including the versatile Bernardo. If the 28-year-old leaves this summer then another body in the squad will likely be needed and the interest in Celta midfielder Gabri Veiga is genuine, yet as with Rice there is a reason City have not acted further on it.
There should be more notable departures from City before the window closes, but none that would change the feel of the squad like having to replace Bernardo after his enormous contributions last season. From a summer where the Blues could feasibly have seen three midfielders move on, there may actually only be one.
