City are prepared to sign three more midfielders this month

City's recruitment department has arrived at a simple rule for the rest of this window: nobody leaves the midfield without being replaced. Progress on Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi is separate from that policy — he is being signed whether or not anyone departs.

Bouaddi plus club-record arrival Elliot Anderson, a combined outlay that could reach £200m, would already be the most aggressive midfield refresh of the post-Guardiola era. The fear inside the fanbase is the other side of the ledger: losing Bernardo Silva and Rodri in the same summer. Silva has already gone to Real Madrid on a free, and Madrid and Barcelona are both circling Rodri, who has been unmoved by City's efforts to extend him.

Reijnders is the other name to watch. The Dutchman only arrived last summer and had a frustrating first season under Pep Guardiola; Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and Galatasaray have all shown interest. Sell him and Rodri, and City would go back into the market for two more midfielders on top of Bouaddi and Anderson.

Some of the engine room is settled. Mateo Kovacic is happy to see out the final year of his contract having been told he is still counted on, and Nico Gonzalez is planning his season around being part of Enzo Maresca's squad.

The replacement principle is not limited to midfield. If Tottenham get their deal for Savinho over the line, another winger arrives. Asked in Seoul after the second friendly of the Asia tour, Maresca would not guarantee that either Savinho or Reijnders would still be at the club by the end of the month.

Taken together with the January arrivals of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi, the club believe this window will leave Maresca with a squad built to win immediately rather than one in transition.