Aleksandar Pavlovic Rejects €100m Move to Manchester City

Manchester City threw the kind of money at their midfield that usually bends a transfer window to their will. This time, it didn’t.

According to Bild, Aleksandar Pavlovic sat at the top of City’s shortlist as far back as March. At 22, the Bayern Munich midfielder had been identified as their preferred option for the heart of the pitch, the player to build a new era around. City were ready to go as high as €100 million to get him.

He didn’t even blink.

Pavlovic made it clear he had no interest in leaving Bayern for England. No negotiations, no drawn-out saga, no late-night meetings in hotel lobbies. Just a categorical refusal. With that, City never even reached the stage of submitting an official offer.

All this played out against a backdrop of upheaval in Manchester. By spring, it was already understood inside the club that Pep Guardiola would step down, with Enzo Maresca lined up as his successor. The Italian, eager to put his stamp on the squad, personally tried to lure Pavlovic to the Etihad.

Same answer. No.

City moved on, but not by choice. They were forced into a complete reset in central midfield during the summer window just gone. Rodri left for Barcelona. Bernardo Silva joined Real Madrid. Tijjani Reijnders departed for Al-Qadsiah. Nico Gonzalez headed to Newcastle. Four pillars of their structure, gone in one window.

For a long stretch, the rebuild looked alarmingly thin. Elliot Anderson arrived from Nottingham for €135 million, a bold bet rather than a proven star at Champions League level. That was it for central midfield. One major signing to replace four heavyweights.

The clock ticked. Pressure grew. City, usually the model of transfer control, suddenly looked exposed in the one area that had defined their dominance.

Then came the late scramble.

Shortly before the window slammed shut, they added Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for €95 million and Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for €145 million. Three midfielders, €375 million, all to plug the gaps left by a summer exodus and the one target who never even entertained the idea of joining.

While City were tearing up and rebuilding their engine room, Pavlovic stayed exactly where he wanted to be.

A product of Bayern’s youth system, he stepped fully into the spotlight last season, making 44 competitive appearances for the club. Four goals, two assists, and a growing sense that Bayern had unearthed their next long-term midfield anchor. His rise didn’t go unnoticed at international level either. Germany handed him his debut in June 2024, and he has already collected 15 caps.

So City reshaped their midfield at enormous cost, but without the man they first wanted at its core. Pavlovic chose continuity in Munich over a blockbuster move to Manchester.

In a market where almost everyone has a price, the refusal says as much about him as it does about City’s changing reality.