The four players linked to Manchester City to replace De Bruyne highlights the task at hand | OneFootball

One of the biggest transfer stories over recent days has been the report of Kevin De Bruyne agreeing personal terms with Al-Ittihad. Rudy Galleti has reported that the Manchester City club legend has a verbal agreement with the Saudi Pro League. Following that report, Galleti has reported that four players are in City’s sights to potentially replace De Bruyne. But the names linked with a to City highlight just how big a task it will be to potentially replace the club legend.

Rudy Galleti has further reported for TeamTalk that four players are in City’s sights to potentially replace De Bruyne. The players named in Galetti’s report are Joao Neves, Xavi Simons, Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. Furthermore, Galleti reports that a Manchester City move for any of the four players listed would be a costly exercise for the world champions.

If Manchester City are forced to replace De Bruyne this summer it will be no easy task.

It remains to be seen if Kevin De Bruyne will leave Manchester City this summer. If he does decide to seek a move to Saudi Arabia then Al-Ittihad will have to negotiate a transfer fee with the champions. But if that were to eventuate then City would be faced with a mammoth task in finding a suitable replacement for the midfielder.

There isn’t a like-for-like replacement for what De Bruyne brings to Manchester City. Instead, the champions will have to bring in a player who can be themselves and grow into De Bruyne’s role. That’s the first issue for the champions. The second is a matter of cost and time.

Galetti’s report names four quality players as potential replacements for De Bruyne. João Neves, Xavi Simons, Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala are all fantastic players. Each could potentially bring their assets to the world champions. But all four are prized assets of their respective clubs. Buying any one of the four players will cost Manchester City a sizable transfer fee. That’s if their clubs are willing to sell them at all.

Given that the busy international summer has held up the transfer market this summer Manchester City would need to act quickly if De Bruyne departs. That, however, is not something City aren’t capable of. It’s just something the champions prefer not to do in the transfer market. They are generally shrewd operators in the market. City would have likely prepared for the possibility of De Bruyne leaving this summer. But they won’t want to be stuck in lengthy transfer negotiations with the 24/25 pre-season set to begin.

Replacing Kevin De Bruyne is no easy task in itself. Doing it in a shorter timeframe while chasing top players makes it that much more difficult. Manchester City would like a quick decision from Kevin De Bruyne in regard to his future. That way they could quickly move into the market if need be. What happens next will define what City do this summer.