The question around Rico Lewis is no longer whether Manchester City rate him. It is whether they can still keep him happy without promising something the squad structure may not allow. At 21, the academy graduate is said to be demanding guarantees of regular first-team football ahead of the new season, and that puts Manchester City in a difficult position during a summer that already looks decisive for his future.
Everton are now reportedly viewing Lewis as their primary target for the summer transfer window, with Manchester City placing a £35 million valuation on the England international. That is a significant number for a player who has grown up at the club, but it also reflects the reality of his situation. Last season, Lewis played only 22 matches in all competitions and averaged 50.2 minutes per game, a workload that underlines how far he drifted from being an automatic choice.
A season that changed the conversation
The issue is not simply that Lewis played less. It is how that reduction in trust happened. Before the 2025/26 season, Pep Guardiola tested Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov and Lewis at right-back, a sign that the role itself was still open to competition. But once the season began, Lewis became more of a benchwarmer and was often not even included in the matchday squad. For a player whose value has always rested on adaptability, that is a clear warning sign.
Manchester City are also working on strengthening the right-back position, which only sharpens the logic of a possible exit. If the club is adding depth and Lewis is asking for assurances, the two sides may be heading in different directions. That is especially important for a player who is still young enough to build a long career, but old enough to know that another season of reduced minutes would not help him at club or international level.
There is also a broader career calculation here. Lewis is an England international, and with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, regular football matters more than promises. He does not need to be a star in every match. He does need to be playing. That is why a move starts to make sense, even if it would be a serious decision for Manchester City to lose an academy graduate they have long valued.
Everton, for their part, would be buying a player with top-level pedigree and room to grow. Whether they can meet City’s asking price is another matter, but the reported interest is clear enough to suggest that this is no longer a theoretical transfer story. Lewis wants certainty. City cannot easily give it. And that is how a homegrown right-back becomes one of the most interesting names of the summer.
