Aleksandar Pavlovic Rejects €100m Move to Manchester City

Manchester City threw the kind of money at their midfield that usually bends a market. One player didn’t flinch.

According to Bild, Aleksandar Pavlovic had been at the top of City’s list since March. At 22, already running games for Bayern Munich and capped by Germany, he was identified as the preferred long-term option in the centre of the pitch. City were ready to go as high as €100 million to get him.

It never even reached the bidding stage.

Pavlovic made it clear he had no intention of leaving Bayern for England. Not for a new league. Not for a new project. Not even for the champions of England and Europe’s most aggressive rebuild.

Guardiola out, Maresca in – same answer

By spring, the situation at City had already shifted behind the scenes. Pep Guardiola’s departure was understood internally, with Enzo Maresca lined up to step into one of the most demanding jobs in the game.

Maresca didn’t just inherit the idea of Pavlovic. He pushed it. The Italian coach tried personally to convince the Bayern midfielder to move to Manchester, making him a cornerstone of the new era.

He got nowhere.

With Pavlovic categorically ruling out a transfer, City never formalised their interest. No official offer, no drawn-out saga, no late twist. Just a straight refusal from a player who decided his development and his future lay in Munich.

City rip up the old midfield

The refusal came at a time when City were dismantling one of the most influential midfields in modern football.

• Rodri left for Barcelona.
• Bernardo Silva joined Real Madrid.
• Tijjani Reijnders moved to Al-Qadsiah.
• Nico Gonzalez departed for Newcastle.

Four major exits, four different destinations, one gaping hole through the middle of Maresca’s new side.

For a long stretch of the window, City had only one major incoming option lined up in that area: Elliot Anderson, signed from Nottingham for €135 million. A bold move, but nowhere near enough to cover the sheer volume of quality that had walked out.

The urgency grew as the deadline loomed. The pressure finally told in the closing stages of the window.

City added Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for €95 million. Then came Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for €145 million, another heavyweight deal to plug the gaps. Between Anderson, Bouaddi and Fernandez, City poured €375 million into central midfield in a single window.

That figure could easily have included Pavlovic. He simply chose not to be part of it.

Bayern’s homegrown anchor

While City scrambled to reshape the heart of their team, Pavlovic stayed exactly where he wanted to be.

A product of Bayern’s academy, he stepped up decisively last season. The midfielder made 44 competitive appearances for the club, scoring four goals and providing two assists. More important than the numbers, he played with the authority of someone who belonged in the Bayern engine room.

Germany took notice. Pavlovic made his international debut in June 2024 and has already collected 15 caps. In a national side constantly searching for balance in midfield, he has moved quickly from prospect to regular.

City moved on, spending huge sums to rebuild a position that once looked untouchable. Bayern, by contrast, kept their emerging organiser, a player who turned down €100 million-level interest without blinking.

In an era where almost everyone has a price, Pavlovic has already made one thing clear: his career will be shaped on his terms, not the market’s.