Aston Villa midfielder drops huge Manchester City transfer hint on social media | OneFootball

Amadou Onana’s cryptic social media post has gotten Manchester City fans dreaming of a stunning swoop for the Aston Villa and Belgium midfielder.

Manchester City have already overhauled their midfield in this transfer window, signing Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan and Rayan Cherki from Lyon to fill the gap left by Kevin De Bruyne, who has joined Napoli after City’s refusal to offer him a new contract.

A lack of legs and vulnerability on the counter attack was a major Achilles’ Heel for Pep Guardiola’s men last season, with City recording their lowest points tally (71) in the Premier League in nine years of being managed by the Catalan.

Rodri spent nearly the entirety of the recent campaign on the sidelines after succumbing to an ACL injury in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal in September 2024, only returning to action in May and sustaining a further setback – the full extent of which remains unclear at this stage – at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States in June.

City signed Nico Gonzalez from Porto for £50 million in January to add depth to their depleted, lacklustre midfield ranks and following the arrival(s) of Reijnders and Cherki in this window, it remains to be seen how Guardiola’s midfield will shape up next term.

Bernardo Silva is set to stay and Ilkay Gundogan is also keen on extending his Manchester City return into a second year. James McAtee will be allowed to leave for £25 million, with Kalvin Phillips also expected to find a new club after returning from a season-long loan at Ipswich Town.

Gonzalez has been subject to a possible departure in the last week, though reports in England have highlighted that the 23-year-old remains a key part of Manchester City’s plans for the 2025-26 campaign. Guardiola will be cautious with phasing Rodri back and that could see Gonzalez begin the new season as the first-choice defensive midfielder.

However, it is understood that there remains an outside possibility of Gonzalez leaving Manchester City six months into his arrival in the event of an attractive offer – which would give the Blues a financial boost and allow the Spain international the chance to guarantee regular first-team football.

Manchester City fans have been pondering on the prospect of a new back-up to Rodri and Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana has dropped a cryptic Instagram post that has fuelled speculation and gossip amongst the fanbase on social media.

Giving a peak through the curtain into his training regime in the off-season, the 23-year-old Belgian posted photos of him going through drills wearing Manchester City’s 2022-23 treble jersey with Erling Haaland’s name printed on the back.

City have not been linked with a move for Onana as this stage of the transfer window, with newly-appointed director of football Hugo Viana believed to be prioritising a reduction in the wage bill and the streamlining of Guardiola’s squad – after completing a major chunk of City’s incoming business in June.

However, Onana’s Instagram story will not have gone unnoticed at the Etihad Stadium and it would certainly make a sensational transfer story if Gonzalez does depart and the Blues turn to Onana as they shape up a winning squad for the 2025-26 campaign.