Man City have mastered the transfer window by making a profit while still strengthening with Haaland, Phillips

There isn’t a trophy for “winning the transfer window,” which is perhaps just as well for those clubs trying to catch Manchester City as the Premier League champions have already set a new standard for getting business done this summer.

While many of their rivals continue to struggle to negotiate ins and outs — Manchester United have made only one signing so far and raised just £10 million through player departures — City have been able to sign the hottest property in world football (Erling Haaland) and an established England international midfielder (Kalvin Phillips) and still end up £26m in profit from their transfer dealings to date.

Raheem Sterling’s £47.5m move to Chelsea this week, following on from the £45m deal which saw Gabriel Jesus leave the Etihad for Arsenal earlier this month, is the latest example of City being able to trade players out for a significant fee having already recruited a replacement without breaking the bank to do so.

– Transfer Grades: City get a B-, Chelsea an A for Sterling
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Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have invested well so far during this window, but they have both spent far more than they have recouped. The same applies to Chelsea and Arsenal. United, meanwhile, continue to struggle to show any sign that they have a coherent plan for rebuilding the Old Trafford squad.

City, however, have now become so slick with their transfer dealings, led by director of football Txiki Begiristain, that they appear to have not only hit the sweet spot when it comes to signing players at the right time for reasonable fees but also offloading them at the perfect moment.

When City’s rise to prominence began in 2008 following Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan’s takeover of the club, balancing the books in terms of transfers was a distant dream for those charged with building a team capable of winning at the highest level. In those early days, City embarked…