Manchester City already have a starting XI under contract for the 2025/26 season following the signings of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez this summer.
City are well known these days for impressive forward-planning, tying down key players on long-term contracts to minimise the risk of someone leaving on a free transfer. That is a factor all the more important this summer, as players including Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva are all linked with exits but all have at least one year left on their current contracts so will earn City a decent transfer fee if they leave.
It may be that players like that aren't part of City's long-term future, but the Blues have managed to tie down at least ten players for 2025 and beyond and can even put together a makeshift starting XI for the first game of that 2025/26 season, assuming all are still at the club.
