Man City close in on De Bruyne replacement as major update drops on €250m mega deal

Robin Bairner

Updated: 3 May 2025 18:56 BST
4 min read

Pep Guardiola, Man City, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Manchester City have been given the opportunity to land Pep Guardiola’s top summer transfer target thanks to a major update on a deal worth €250 million.

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City are in need of a major injection of quality and may already be regretting their decision to allow Kevin De Bruyne to depart as a free agent.

Current ETV

Kevin De Bruyne

M, AM (C)

Man City

Kevin De Bruyne

M, AM (C)

Man City

ETV Range

€18.1M - €22.1M

The Belgium international was again the saviour of Guardiola’s side as they edged Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in the Premier League on Friday night, scoring the only goal of the game.

Replacing De Bruyne is a major target for Guardiola in the summer. To that end, Florian Wirtz has been placed to the top of the Etihad side’s transfer wishlist.

Wirtz appeared out of reach as it emerged that Bayern Munich had agreed personal terms with the No.10, yet City’s hopes of signing the Bayer Leverkusen ace have been reignited with news coming out of Germany.

Bayern are set to struggle to foot the bill for the €250m mega transfer, half of which comprises Wirtz’s transfer fee and the other half of which would be his wages.

Coman shakes Bayern with transfer decision

Doubts have been raised over the Wirtz deal because Kingsley Coman will refuse to leave the club this summer, according to FootMercato. In turn, the France international’s decision has placed FCB’s transfer plans into a tailspin and, in the case of Wirtz, played into the hands of City.

Bayern were banking on Coman who earns €17m per year and would have commanded a transfer fee between €30-40m, to leave in order to fund a move for the Germany international playmaker.

This has opened the door for Man City to move for Wirtz as De Bruyne’s replacement, while it is claimed that Bayern are currently scrambling to find other solutions to raise the money required to plunder Leverkusen for their ace.

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While Real Madrid may wish a sale, it may be difficult to manufacture given his large wages and chronic physical unreliability over the course of the last 18 months. Alaba would certainly represent a major gamble for any buying club.