Man City would have endless midfield combinations if Declan Rice signs

It's all change in the Manchester City midfield this summer, as influential captain Ilkay Gundogan departs and a four-time Champions League winner arrives.

Gundogan has called time on his seven-year stay in Manchester, opting to join Barcelona rather than extend his stay at City. The Blues have moved quickly to sign his replacement, with Chelsea's Mateo Kovacic set to arrive after the clubs agreed a £25m fee for the Croatian.

Reports also suggest that City will table an opening offer for Declan Rice on Thursday, although while there is an interest in the West Ham man, it's thought that talk of a bid may be a little premature, and Arsenal remain interested having bid twice themselves.

Still, with Guardiola trialling various midfield options throughout the season, and two top-class Premier League midfielders potentially coming in, City's midfield could have multiple options for the manager to experiment with over the 2023/24 season.

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To start, Rodri is a main-stay in defensive midfield, and with Gundogan going, Kovacic could partner Kevin De Bruyne in a full-strength midfield trio. Bernardo Silva can also play in the midfield three, although he is linked with a summer exit too.

The arrival of Kovacic, and interest in Rice, throws up a question over Kalvin Phillips. The England midfielder has failed to impress in his first year at City, but insists he wants to fight for his place next season and kick on. He would naturally be an alternative for Rodri in what will be a gruelling season across seven competitions.

However, should Rice come in, he would also be an alternative option to Rodri as he plays defensive midfield for West Ham. There is