Phil Foden has been a target for Arsenal this summer as Pep Guardiola is reorganizing his Manchester City team. While Kevin De Bruyne was released, City made significant purchases during the January transfer window, including Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, and Abdukodir Khusanov.
In addition, Guardiola has already brought in four new players this summer: Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, and Rayan Ait-Nouri. After being excluded from City’s team for the Club World Cup, Jack Grealish is one of the players anticipated to depart.
Though the 29-year-old makes £300,000 a week at the Etihad, City is having trouble finding buyers for him. According to reports, they are now willing to send him out on loan and pay a portion of his salary.
There are concerns over Foden’s position in the City squad under Pep Guardiola given that Cherki mostly played on the right side of Lyon’s attack. “Phil Foden and Arteta obviously worked well at Man City, and for whatever reason—which I’m sure we’ll learn later—Phil Foden hasn’t been the player we know him to be this season.
Arsenal sent Phil Foden transfer message as Man City
Arsenal has been mooted as a possible next stop for Phil Foden, who is expected to follow Jack Grealish out of Manchester City this summer. Grealish’s time is running out as City officially put the £100 million player up for sale after leaving him out of their Club World Cup squad.
According to sources, City has not received any offers for the England midfielder despite decreasing his transfer fee and advertising him for £50 million. Grealish’s £300,000-per-week contract has two years left on it, and City is keen to let him go four years after his then-record British arrival in August 2021.
They might have to hear loan bids for the 29-year-old, though, as they try to get him to leave. Having already spent £291 million in 2025, City has come very close to spending £300 million, but by the end of the transfer window, that amount is probably going to be considerably higher. Omar Marmoush [£63.2m], Nico Gonzalez [£50m], Abdukodir Khusanov [£33.7m], and Vitor Reis [£29.6m] were the four new players they acquired in January.
