Jeremy Doku Commits to Manchester City Until 2031
Jeremy Doku has tied his future to Manchester City, and in doing so he has given Enzo Maresca’s new era an early jolt of certainty.
The Belgium winger has agreed a new deal that runs until 2031, extending a stay that only began last summer when City paid Rennes £55.4m for his pace and chaos out wide. An official announcement is expected next week, but inside the Etihad there is no doubt: Doku is part of the long-term plan.
He earned it. Last season, in Pep Guardiola’s farewell campaign, Doku played 48 times, scored eight goals and brought a directness that repeatedly shredded tired legs. He left defenders guessing, won both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup with the team, and convinced the club he is worth building around.
He is not alone. Doku becomes the fourth City player to sign fresh terms this summer, following Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol and Abdukodir Khusanov. The message is clear: while the manager has changed, the core of this squad is being locked in for the long haul.
Gonzalez fights for his place
If Doku’s situation screams security, Nico Gonzalez’s tells a more complicated story.
The midfielder arrived from Porto for £50m in January last year, a significant investment for a player expected to slip straight into City’s midfield rotation. He has had moments. Forty-one appearances in all competitions last season, a thunderous winner in the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, and flashes of the technical control that persuaded City to move for him in the first place.
Yet he never truly nailed down a permanent starting role. In and out of the side, often watching the decisive minutes from the bench, Gonzalez has been an easy name to throw into early-summer exit rumours.
He is having none of it.
"I'm happy here," he said when asked about his future. "I don't want to leave and I think the club wants me to stay. I haven't seen anything but I'm happy here.
"When I play I think I do a really good job. A good example was the semi-final of the FA Cup when I did a good match. Every chance I got, I tried my best.
"The final of the FA Cup I was out but we won so it was an amazing day for me. If we win, I'm happy. My dream is to win trophies.
"If I don't play any matches and we win the Champions League next year, I will be so happy."
His pre-season minutes back that stance up. Gonzalez has featured in both friendlies so far, against Inter Milan and a K-League XI, as Maresca weighs up how his midfield will look without Bernardo Silva.
A quiet window, a record deal
Approaching the second week of August, City’s summer business looks strangely light for a club of their size and ambition. Only one signing is expected to walk straight into the first XI: Elliot Anderson, recruited from Nottingham Forest for a club-record £116m.
The England international, 23, arrives with the weight of that fee on his shoulders and the shadow of the player he is effectively replacing. Bernardo Silva left at the end of his contract and joined Real Madrid, taking with him years of craft, control and big-game nerve. Anderson has been brought in to fill that void, or at least to grow into it.
Around him, the recruitment has been quieter, more developmental. Teenage winger Jeremy Monga has joined from Leicester and is likely to start in the academy. Goalkeeper Pierce Charles and winger Mathys Detourbet have both gone straight out on loan, signings made with tomorrow in mind rather than Saturday afternoon.
Maresca, speaking on Tuesday, made no attempt to hide that City still have work to do. He revealed that director of football Hugo Viana and chief executive Ferran Soriano had flown to South Korea, where City are based for pre-season, and admitted bluntly: "we need to something" in the market.
The line from upstairs is more measured. Senior figures at the club accept they have not been as active as planned but insist they are "relaxed" and place full "trust" in their transfer strategy. This is not a club scrambling; it is one leaning on long-term planning.
They point to January as proof. Deals for Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi were originally mapped out for this summer but were accelerated mid-season. Both have already made a positive impact, and their early arrival changes the way this window looks on paper.
The squad, they argue, is already "young" and "exciting". It is also proven: last season it delivered both domestic cups. Vitor Reis, the 20-year-old Brazilian defender, has returned from a season-long loan at Girona and is expected to step into the first-team environment. Another fresh face, but one grown within the system.
Big decisions still to come
The calm around City’s hierarchy does not mean there are no fault lines.
Rodri, the heartbeat of their midfield, has yet to sign a new contract. Interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona is growing, and until pen hits paper, that storyline will hang over everything City do. Losing him would not just mean replacing a player; it would mean ripping out the spine of the side.
Tijjani Reijnders, another midfielder, looks far closer to the exit. Nottingham Forest are among the clubs interested, and a move for him feels more a matter of timing than possibility.
On the flanks, there are more questions. Savinho is open to leaving, with Tottenham exploring a deal, though no agreement has been reached. If he goes, and if others follow, City will move. The plan, as it stands, is straightforward: any significant departure triggers a replacement.
Targets are already in focus. There is interest in Chelsea’s Pedro Neto, a winger whose direct running would fit naturally with Doku’s on the opposite side. Talks continue for Lille’s Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, two moves that would reinforce depth in key areas.
So the window feels oddly still, but it is not empty. Pieces are moving, just not all in public view.
For now, City lean on what they know. A core of players tied to long contracts. A manager bedding in his ideas on a pre-season tour in South Korea. A record signing preparing to step into one of the most demanding midfield roles in European football.
And a winger, Jeremy Doku, committing the prime years of his career to the Etihad, ready to sprint into whatever this new City side is about to become.
