‘They rejected £40m’ – Man City have agreed Nico O’Reilly deal after Chelsea bid
Manchester City have agreed a Nico O’Reilly deal after Chelsea made a bid to sign him.
The 20-year-old made his senior debut last year after being named in the starting lineup for the Community Shield clash against Manchester United, where his side won on penalties after the game ended 1-1.
The midfielder, who featured heavily at left-back last season, registered five goals and two assists in 21 appearances across the campaign for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Man City turned down an offer from Chelsea for O’Reilly in January, with suggestions it could have been worth up to £40million.
Fabrizio Romano reported on 31 July Man City have agreed a new contract with O’Reilly, whose previous deal was due to expire in 2028.
He added the Manchester giants rejected two bids from Bayer Leverkusen for their academy product.
O’Reilly will wear the number 33 shirt at Man City next season, having worn the number 75 shirt following his breakthrough into the first-team squad in 2024-25.
Man City face Nico O’Reilly ‘issue’ after new arrival
This article contains exclusive comment from Stefan Borson, a former financial adviser to Man City.
O’Reilly could face a challenge receiving regular minutes next season due to Man City’s depth in midfield and the signing of Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “Well, we know that Chelsea bid for him in January through their links through Joe Shields and various other people who have historic links with City, so they know where the quality is at City.
“I would have said actually O’Reilly would be possibly in the top five players that I wouldn’t have wanted to have been sold as a City fan.
“I just couldn’t see much sense in that given where he is and given the quality that he appears to have now, so I think it is a boost that he signed. The bigger issue City have got is where he plays and how he gets in the team.
“That is not straightforward because the opportunity at left-back probably has gone with the signing of Ait-Nouri and he’s probably not ready for central midfield, so there is still a challenge there.
“It would not surprise me if he went out on loan somewhere, but he looks like a very talented player.
“If we know that they’ve had other offers as well, not just from Chelsea in January, but I think they had some offers from Germany, and you would have thought we would have been looking at maybe £30-40million for him.
“That just shows how highly he’s rated in the game, and also how highly City rates him to sign him on another contract and to have turned down £40million.
“I think it’s positive, but the immediate challenge is where do you play him?”
Tottenham set sights on signing Man City star
In terms of a potential exit at the Etihad Stadium, former Spurs scout Mick Brown told Football Insider Tottenham have set their sights on signing Jack Grealish.
Having now been cast out of Guardiola’s squad, there is no shortage of interest in the England international, but the finances involved are a potential stumbling block.
Grealish is believed to be on in excess of £300,000 a week at the Etihad, with his deal set to run until 2027.
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