Manchester City’s ‘perfect replacement’ for Kevin De Bruyne is not Jamal Musiala or Xavi Simons, claims new report | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City have seemingly set their sights on a relatively left-field name when it comes to replacing Kevin De Bruyne, compared to recent transfer links.

The Belgium international is into the final year of his existing Etihad Stadium contract, and in the event of not renewing with the club, he will be free to leave Manchester City next summer following a nine-season stay in Sky Blue.

However, from the side of Manchester City, it is believed that there remains a clear intention to renew De Bruyne’s deal, having held the belief that his injury struggles of recent seasons are not a major issue in terms of availability.

The last campaign saw his season essentially cut in half, having undergone surgery on a reoccurring hamstring problem after an opening weekend injury sustained against Burnley, ruling him out until the second-half of the 2023/24 calendar.

But while Pep Guardiola and Manchester City still have De Bruyne at the forefront of their on-field plans, those in recruitment positions are busy preparing for life without the legendary creative midfielder.

According to the information of Spanish newspaper AS, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, Premier League champions Manchester City are one of the clubs rivalling Real Madrid in the race for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.

From the side of Los Blancos, it is claimed that Real Madrid have identified the 21-year-old as an ideal candidate to replace Luka Modrić, with the club’s CEO, José Ángel Sánchez and chief scout, Juni Calafat leading the transfer pursuit.

However, Real Madrid are well aware that they will face ‘tough competition’ from others, ‘especially Manchester City’, who see Wirtz as a ‘perfect’ replacement for Kevin De Bruyne and someone who could compliment Ilkay Gundogan in the immediate term.

Within the German game, Bayern Munich are unsurprisingly said to be dreaming about adding Florian Wirtz to their squad, whilst Barcelona are also keen but facing the usual financial struggles that have hampered them for several markets.

As for the stance taken by Bayer Leverkusen, AS claim that the Bundesliga champions will not let arguably their star player leave for less than €150 million, with his contract running until the summer of 2027.

It remains to be seen which of Manchester City’s directors will undertake the initial task of searching for a Kevin De Bruyne replacement, with long-standing Director of Football Txiki Begiristain leaving the club at the end of the ongoing season.

Sporting CP’s Hugo Viana will then take his place and lead proceedings during the 2025 summer transfer window, only having taken on an introductory period of six months working alongside Begiristain at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City’s search for a successor to the long-standing Begiristain was relatively swift, with the 60-year-old playing a key role in choosing the next official to take on the position, with Girona’s Quique Carcel also under consideration.