Kevin De Bruyne has been linked with a move away from Manchester City in recent weeks.
Having spent nine years at the Etihad Stadium, racking up 382 appearances in the process, De Bruyne has been vital for the Blues and played a key role in their trophy successes over recent years.
Despite that, the Belgian has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, and has even given the green light to explore a proposal from the Saudi Pro League.
Now though, some behind-the-scenes information has come to light regarding some players the Manchester club have identified as being possible replacements for the 33-year-old if he were to bring an end to his time with the Citizens in the near future.
Man City identify midfield trio as possible Kevin De Bruyne replacements
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, City have Florian Wirtz, Xavi Simons and Joao Neves on their list of potential transfer targets that could replace De Bruyne.
Going into further details on the trio, the report claims that Wirtz isn’t likely to leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer, Simons is closer to joining Bayern Munich than any other club and Neves is only going to leave Benfica if his €120m (£101m) release clause is triggered.
City will be lucky to find another De Bruyne
Scoring 102 goals and delivering 170 assists during his time with Pep Guardiola’s side, it’s safe to say that City will be hard pressed to find another midfielder who is as astute when it comes to regularly delivering goal contributions as De Bruyne has.
In our view, if the Blues still feel that the Belgian has a lot to offer the team, they should convince him to stay on until the end of his contract next summer.
In terms of the three players they have apparently identified as potential replacements for the 33-year-old, depending on what happens with them this summer, it could be worth City keeping an eye on them and seeing if an opportunity to sign them arises further down the line.
