Spent £526 million! Manchester City had two more €100m-plus deals fall through, with the record signing almost changing hands

Manchester City spent £526.2 million this summer, the highest figure in Europe, and spent nearly €120 million more than second-placed Chelsea, who were described as having spent around €400 million while bringing in around €400 million. However, this was still not the most extreme spending, as after the transfer window closed, the club was also reported to have had two €100 million-plus deals that were not completed.

Reporter Christian Falk reported that Manchester City had inquired about Bayern player Aleksandar Pavlovic's willingness to transfer during the summer window and were prepared to make a €100 million offer for him.

Early contact over the deal had reportedly begun as far back as March. Pavlovic was one of Maresca's preferred targets, and he was also actively involved in discussions. However, the player was comfortable with his sporting situation and life at Bayern, hoped to win the Champions League with the club, and therefore rejected Manchester City's approach.

In the end, Manchester City did not submit a formal offer for Pavlovic and instead chose to sign Buadi, spending €95 million.

The other deal was even more surprising. Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez attracted interest from Barcelona, Arsenal and even Real Madrid this summer. Considering that Alvarez was sold by Manchester City to Atletico two years ago for €75 million (plus €20 million in add-ons), few expected City to also join the competition for the Argentine forward.

Reporter Roberto Gomez reported that before the transfer deadline (last weekend), Manchester City made a €150 million offer to Atletico Madrid for Alvarez. It should be noted that this came at a time when competition among several clubs for Alvarez was particularly intense, and reports suggested that if City made such a move, it may have been an attempt to take advantage of the situation and secure the transfer.

However, because of the player's own stance — Alvarez was reportedly neither committed to nor publicly commented on the option of returning to Manchester City — the deal ultimately did not progress.

The report even suggested that this pursuit ranked above Manchester City's chase for Enzo. In other words, the failure to sign Alvarez was considered a key factor behind Manchester City's eventual €145 million signing of Enzo, meaning the record transfer of the summer window almost changed hands.