It is a desperately unfamiliar feeling for Manchester City at this time of year.

A week is left of the summer transfer window and City director of football Hugo Viana – in the words of one Premier League executive – is “expecting a fun few days”.

Quite how enjoyable it is depends on City’s ability to pull a rabbit from the hat in a week that may come to define their season.

A breakthrough in negotiations with Lille will see Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi join for £85m.

But with a £47m agreement to sell Nico Gonzalez to Newcastle United close, the intention is to bring in at least one more to compensate for the departure of Rodri to Barcelona.

Can it be done while ticking all the boxes City’s well-oiled machine usually requires for a deal to be done? This feels like the biggest challenge of a hectic year for Viana.

Who are the midfield targets?

Everywhere they turn in the domestic market they are finding doors slammed shut.

Enzo Fernandez remains a priority target for City, but Chelsea imposing a deadline on his exit means nothing is guaranteed there and an asking price of £120m feels excessive.

Bournemouth’s Alex Scott has also been on their list this summer but Viana respects their stance that the England international is not for sale and there has been no enquiry on bid for a player who is also wanted by the Blues.

Adam Wharton? He would be keen and City certainly believe his profile works for them, but Crystal Palace rejected an approach earlier in the transfer window and regard him as something close to untouchable as they rebuild under Pierre Sage.

Manu Kone is an option and there is a feeling that Roma might do business if the price was right. But the issue now is that City are leaving it late and face paying a premium to extract their targets so close to the September deadline.

It feels more chaotic than we are used to. Normally by now you can telegraph City’s targets or they are prepared to wait.

Pep Guardiola famously urged the club to keep his Champions League-winning squad together past its sell-by date, which prompted some of the rushed recruitment that Viana has had to unpick this summer.

The long-term plan

The intention, sources claim, is “absolutely” to replace the players that are heading for the exit door in the next few days.

But there is also a long-term plan to keep adding to Enzo Maresca’s squad.

When Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi is available for transfer next summer, expect City to be one of the clubs that makes a play for him.

He has plenty of admirers at the Etihad and would add another dimension to a forward line that looked too reliant on the maverick tendencies of Rayan Cherki on opening weekend.

What now for Jack Grealish?

On the subject of mavericks, the re-emergence of Jack Grealish as an option has been another surprise.

Grealish remains in Everton’s crosshairs and there is still a belief at Hill Dickinson Stadium that there is a “deal to do” with City before next month’s deadline.

He is certainly keen to return to a club where he enjoyed being the main man last season.

But so far the financial terms don’t work for either club.

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He has one year left on his contract and City would prefer a permanent transfer.

Everton’s red line is a loan and at a better rate than they had last season, where they committed £12m to the player.

Who blinks first might depend on whether Viana manages to strike the deals City desperately need.