Manchester City is finalizing the appointment of former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on a three-year contract following a compensation agreement with their Premier League rivals.
The deal comes one month after Pep Guardiola announced his departure.
According to BBC Sport, the negotiations regarding the compensation package for the 46-year-old Italian coach are understood to be well in excess of £10 million.
Chelsea sought financial compensation because Maresca remained under contract until 2029 before leaving in January.
The delay in the official announcement has left players who are not participating in the World Cup in limbo regarding their futures, ahead of their scheduled mid-July return for pre-season training.
Meanwhile, transfer operations have advanced in the background.
Manchester City reached an agreement with Nottingham Forest to transfer midfielder Elliot Anderson, looking to fill the void left by departing captain Bernardo Silva.
The pursuit of the England international reportedly has the blessing of the incoming manager.
City Xtra's Freddie Pye shared insights with BBC Sport regarding the impact of the delayed announcement on the squad's preparation and recruitment allure.
"Given the absence of any pre-season training until next month, and even those activities being restricted to non-World Cup players, perhaps Maresca and City have not lost out on anything via a delayed announcement, with the Italian likely to be in close contact over planning for the new season," said Freddie Pye.
Pye further explained that the club maintains a powerful structural appeal for incoming talent regardless of the specific head coach in charge.
"City have a compelling and desirable sales pitch to offer players these days, irrespective of the head coach - though not overlooking the allure of Guardiola.
This is a winning project for players, a clear opportunity to win immediate silverware, unrivalled facilities and perhaps joining the start of an exciting new era," said Pye.
However, Pye noted that the managerial transition could prompt certain existing squad members to reassess their long-term commitment to the club.
"The futures of players may be a different story, as some may view the departure of Guardiola as the end of a career segment themselves, giving them little reason to remain if being part of the more successful seasons of late at the club," said Pye.
Midfield Rebuild and Squad Planning
In addition to Anderson, Manchester City chief football writer Simon Bajkowski reported via the Manchester Evening News that the club is evaluating further midfield options, including Sandro Tonali, to rebuild the squad architecture under Hugo Viana.
"Hi Jim, yes the club could absolutely move for another midfielder.
As we've reported, Sandro Tonali is one of the players that they have been looking at that was seen as in addition to Elliot Anderson rather than instead of him.
City's midfield is still a puzzle that needs sorting this summer and there could be several moving pieces so Hugo Viana has to be alive to pouncing for at least another midfielder," said Simon Bajkowski.
Bajkowski added that Nico Paz appears unavailable due to Real Madrid's ownership, Felix Nmecha is not a player of interest, and Ayyoub Bouaddi is an exciting young talent but could trigger a bidding war.
Beyond the midfield reconfiguration, the club must resolve the status of striker Omar Marmoush, who struggled to compete with Erling Haaland for a starting role during the prior season.
"Marmoush is another interesting player to watch at the World Cup.
He had a year that frustrated both himself and the team, with memories of his excellent start fading fast as he struggled to push Erling Haaland for a place in the team.
It can be a thankless task to be deputy to the best No.9 in the world and there is a shelf life, so this is a summer where Marmoush and City both have to consider what is best and the World Cup could tip the balance in terms of clubs making offers," said Bajkowski.
Journalistic analysis also highlights potential shifts in how the club integrates academy graduates, considering Maresca's past preferences for experienced players during his tenure at Chelsea.
"Hi Martin, it's an interesting question in as much as I'm not sure if the suggestion is that Pep Guardiola did or did not give access.
They were physically in another building, but were also more involved in training than many youth teams at other top clubs and there were plenty of minutes given to homegrown players.
Maresca will obviously have a big interest in the academy but you suspect he will also like having experienced players to count on given his frustrations at Chelsea.
I think if Maresca continues with a similar approach to Guardiola that would suit nearly everyone," said Bajkowski.
Squad registration quotas represent another tactical hurdle, especially if academy products James Trafford and Rico Lewis exit the club during the summer transfer window.
"Ah, the dreaded quotas.
We wrote about this a few days ago, although I do think while it is obviously something that needs to be taken into consideration it usually all works out in the end.
As far as association-trained players go the fact that Elliot Anderson, Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi have come in works for City but it is the club-trained players that are the issue - especially if, as you suggest, James Trafford and Rico Lewis leave," said Bajkowski.
Manchester City is concurrently looking into the transfer market for a right-back, identifying Feyenoord defender Givairo Read as a primary target for the upcoming campaign.
"Hi Jim, yes as we've reported for a while now right-back is a position of interest and so is Givairo Read.
I think the last week has been pretty telling," said Bajkowski.
