Now the dust has settled on the bombshell announcement that Kevin De Bruyne will leave Manchester City in the summer, attention has turned to what might come next.
While De Bruyne will have options across the globe, in Manchester the focus will be on replacing him in the City squad. Phil Foden offers an in-house solution while Jack Grealish would love the opportunity to play centrally more regularly should he remain at the Etihad long-term.
But the expectation is City will dip into the market this summer to find an attacking midfield capable of forming part of the squad rebuild. De Bruyne departs as one of City's greatest ever players, here's five who could take on the mantle.
Morgan Gibbs-White
Gibbs-White is flying high this season, helping Nottingham Forest to an FA Cup semi-final and currently sitting third in the Premier League.
He’s a technically gifted player in that number 10 role, and his ability to combine with teammates is impressive. While there’s no question about Gibbs-White’s work rate and contribution to Nuno Espirito Santo’s team, he has a relatively low tally of five goals and nine assists in 26 matches.
He joined Forest from Wolves in 2022 for £42.5 million and his current contract expires in 2027. He is a proven Premier League player and England international, meaning he won't come cheap.
Florian Wirtz
Instrumental to Bayern Leverkusen’s historic title last year, Wirtz is a goal and assist machine who deservedly won the 2023/24 Bundesliga player of the season.
Wirtz shares many of De Bruyne’s star qualities with the capacity to visualise and create killer passes, with a high technical ability. He’s also more than capable of scoring from range, something which City fans have become accustom to seeing from De Bruyne over the past 10 years.
Wirtz, like De Bruyne did, would be joining City as a step up from being the main man in a decent Bundesliga side. For these reasons, Wirtz would be a perfect replacement, but the 21-year-old won’t come cheap.
Valued at an estimated £120 million and contracted to Xavi Alonso’s side until 2027, reports have suggested Wirtz could sign a contract extension which may include a release clause. This could potentially be worth around £106 million, but would become active in the summer of 2026.
Eberechi Eze
Eze has proven to be a wonderfully talented player ever since his breakout season in the Championship for Queens Park Rangers, which subsequently led to him signing for Crystal Palace in 2020. At around £17 million, the England international goes under the radar slightly as one of the best value signings of recent years.
He is a powerful runner with the ball and also maintains extreme levels of skill within his game. A creative player, accurate passer and precise shooter, Eze has the skillset to be a key asset in City’s team.
After the departure of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich in the summer, Palace fans rely on Eze and as he reaches his prime years at the age of 26, Palace certainly won’t let him go cheap.
Jamal Musiala
The second German international on this list is Musiala, another player who is lighting up the Bundesliga, and worth well over £100million.
He’s more dynamic and agile than De Bruyne, and enjoys the ball at his feet, while running directly at defenders with pace. However, the Bayern-Munich ace has recently committed his long term-future to Vincent Kompany’s team, extending his contract to 2030.
It might prove an almost impossible job tempting the 21-year-old to Manchester.
Dani Olmo
One of the stars of Euro 2024, Olmo’s performances for Spain earned him a transfer to Barcelona. But a series of complications regarding his registration with La Liga due to the club’s finances means Olmo’s future with the Catalan club isn’t as secure as it should be.
Olmo has shown he has world-class vision and creativity combined with flair on the ball. The 26-year-old signed a deal until 2030 when moving from RB Leipzig for £51million.
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