£87m Bayern star rejected Man City before huge midfield rebuild

Manchester City were reportedly prepared to spend as much as £87m on Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic before eventually rebuilding Enzo Maresca's engine room with Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez for a combined fee of around £326m.

Manchester City's extraordinary summer midfield overhaul could have looked very different had Pavlovic been willing to leave Bayern.

According to Sky Germany, the 22-year-old was among City's leading midfield targets long before the transfer window opened, with sporting director Hugo Viana driving the club's interest.

City had been monitoring Pavlovic since March and discussed the Germany international internally before other high-profile targets such as Bouaddi and Fernandez emerged as concrete options.

The Premier League giants were ultimately prepared to invest up to €100m (£87m) to bring him to the Etihad Stadium.

However, Pavlovic had no intention of leaving the club where he developed through the academy and rejected the possibility of moving to England.

Pavlovic was an early priority for Man City

City's interest became more concrete following the 2026 World Cup, by which point their midfield was undergoing substantial change.

Rodri had departed for Barcelona in a deal worth around £65m, while Bernardo Silva left at the end of his contract and Tijjani Reijnders joined Al-Qadsiah.

That left Maresca and Viana facing the task of constructing a new midfield core.

Pavlovic fitted the profile particularly well.

Comfortable receiving possession under pressure and capable of controlling games from deep, the Bayern academy graduate could have provided some of the qualities lost with Rodri's departure while also fitting City's move towards a younger squad.

Sky Germany reports that Bayern were aware of City's interest, but the situation never developed into formal club-to-club negotiations because Pavlovic made his preference clear.

The midfielder chose to stay in Munich, where he remains under contract until 2029 and is regarded as an important part of Bayern's long-term plans.

Pavlovic has already made more than 100 competitive appearances for the German giants despite still being only 22.

His rejection forced City to proceed with a midfield rebuild without him, although there is no suggestion that his decision directly caused each of their subsequent transfers.

City ultimately spent £326m on three midfielders

City's eventual solution was considerably more expensive than signing Pavlovic alone would have been.

Elliot Anderson arrived from Nottingham Forest for £116m after enhancing his reputation with England at the World Cup.

Bouaddi then followed from Lille in a deal worth up to approximately £86m, comprising around £81m up front and a further £4m-plus in potential add-ons.

The final and most expensive piece arrived on deadline day.

City paid Chelsea £125m for Fernandez, setting a new club transfer record and completing a remarkable transformation of Maresca's midfield options.

Taken together, the three deals amount to roughly £326m.

All three offer different qualities.

Anderson provides physicality, ball-winning and Premier League experience, Bouaddi combines defensive awareness with considerable technical potential, while Fernandez has already assumed major responsibility in possession since leaving Chelsea.

Their arrival has also reduced opportunities for some of City's existing midfielders, with Mateo Kovacic among those pushed further down the hierarchy.

Pavlovic therefore represents an intriguing glimpse at an alternative version of City's summer business.

Viana had identified the Bayern midfielder months before the window reached its decisive stages, and City were prepared to make him one of the most expensive midfielders in football.

Instead, Pavlovic chose continuity in Munich.

City responded by completing one of the most expensive midfield rebuilds the Premier League has ever seen, committing more than three times the amount they were prepared to spend on the German international across Anderson, Bouaddi and Fernandez.