Manchester City have identified a £97,000 per week international as a long-term replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, according to a new report.
The Blues have made a very good start to the 2024/25 Premier League season, and that continued on Saturday as they claimed a 2-1 win over Brentford to make it four wins from four.
Possible Kevin De Bruyne replacements
No transfer business can be conducted now until January, but that hasn’t stopped the transfer speculation from continuing. Man City added just two players to their squad over the summer, so they could have their eye on potentially one or two additions in the new year.
One area that Pep Guardiola could be looking to address is finding a suitable replacement for De Bruyne. The Belgian international is in the final year of his contract at the Etihad, but he has indicated that talks over a new deal will likely proceed during the campaign.
However, it is unlikely going to be a long-term deal, given the players’ age and injury problems. Therefore, Man City are looking at long-term replacements for De Bruyne, and Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala is said to be open to joining City in 2025. The German has delayed agreeing a new deal with the Bundesliga giants, meaning he will enter the final year of his contract next summer if a new deal isn’t agreed. That has alerted City, and they could be ready to make a move in the summer.
But while the Blues and Guardiola look at Musiala as a possible replacement for de Bruyne. They have also said to have identified another player, who could be in the running as well.
Man City identify £97k-p/w international as possible de Bruyne successor
According to Football Insider, Manchester City have set their sights on signing PSG midfielder Xavi Simons as a long-term replacement for De Bruyne. The 21-year-old is said to be a priority target for the Premier League side, but they face competition from Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
Simons, who is said to be on a weekly wage of £97,000, has been at PSG since July 2023, when he re-joined the club from PSV Eindhoven. The Dutch international spent last season on loan at Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, where he scored eight goals and recorded 13 assists in 32 league games.
The 21-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich this summer, but a move never worked out, and instead, he has re-joined Leipzig on loan for the 2024/25 campaign.
Simons, who was once described as being a “complete” player by former teammate Dani Olmo, has started all three of Leipzig’s games this season in the Bundesliga but is yet to get on the scoresheet. Simons, who can operate in a number 10 role as well as out wide, is contracted to PSG until the summer of 2027. The 21-year-old had an impressive summer away with the Netherlands, as he started five of his country’s six games in the tournament, scoring in the semi-final against England.
