With Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips coming in, and Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling reportedly leaving the club, all the talk has been about the state of the Manchester City first-team squad.
Pep Guardiola has always insisted that shaking up the squad year-on-year maintains a consistent hunger for success, so multiple outgoings and incomings were expected this summer. However, there has also been a shake-up in the youth set-up - both in personnel and policy.
In the past, promising youth products such as Tommy Doyle and Taylor Harwood-Bellis have gone out on loan to prove themselves at senior level. That particular method has produced mixed results, with some coming back to enjoy periods around the first team and others opting for a fresh start at another club.
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However, this year, the sales of Gavin Bazunu and Pedro Porro - with Romeo Lavia also set to join the departure list - have signalled a slight shift in strategy. These promising talents have left on permanent deals, with the majority leaving with buy-back or sell-on clauses in their new contracts.
This allows City to get unnecessary wages off the books and bring through the next batch of youth talent. There is also now an emphasis on the buying clubs to give these players regular minutes to aid their development.
Despite all of these sales, there is one young player who is set to remain at the Etihad - James McAtee. Pep Guardiola, as shown in the past with Phil Foden, has placed ultimate faith in his next academy starlet to progress in the first team and feature on a more regular basis.
It feels like this could really be a breakout year for the Salford-born midfielder, who made his senior debut in the Carabao Cup third round last September. Since then, he has also gone on to make appearances in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League - earning rave reviews in his brief cameos.
After weeks of deliberation, McAtee penned a three-year contract extension a couple of months ago and looks set to be more and more involved in the first team as time goes on. The Premier League 2 Player of the Season has shown huge promise in attacking areas and will hope to showcase that talent at senior level.
With Cole Palmer now seen as a fully-fledged member of the first-team squad, McAtee is expected to have that same transition this season, as the club finally start to see the benefits of the £200million City Football Academy complex.
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