EXCLUSIVE: De Bruyne driving Doku transfer as Rennes star pleads for Man City move
Steve Kay
- Updated: 16 Aug 2023 16:07 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne is the driving force behind the club’s transfer for Rennes winger Jeremy Doku, FootballTransfers has learned.
Doku scored for Rennes in a 5-1 win over Metz at the weekend, but the 21-year-old, who is under contract until 2025, is eager to test himself at City, having spent the last three seasons with the Ligue 1 club.
FootballTransfers, which exclusively broke the news that Doku was close to Man City, has been told by sources that the attacker is ready to plead with Rennes to accept an offer from the Premier League champions for him.
Manchester City transfers: 2023/24
According to our information, City have already had a €42 million offer for the player knocked back, with Rennes holding out for at least €50m.
Behind the scenes, De Bruyne is pushing for the transfer from Man City’s side, with the playmaker a huge fan of his Belgium international colleague.
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Blessed with both pace and technical ability, Doku is a devastating presence on his day, but injuries have restricted him to 91 appearances during his time with Rennes – the main concern over his success in England.
West Ham are also interested in Doku, but the player only wants to move to Man City.
De Bruyne faces four months out
Doku’s arrival would come in part to provide Man City with additional creativity while De Bruyne himself rests up to recover from a hamstring injury that could see him miss the first half of the season.
“We have to decide if he needs surgery or no surgery but he will be out for a few months,” Pep Guardiola said on the 32-year-old. “The decision on surgery will be taken in the coming days and could see him miss three or four months.
“I have to say the injury for Kevin is a blow for us. It's a big loss. Kevin has specific qualities which you can lose for one or two games but, for a long time, it is really tough for us.”
Guardiola also hinted at the possibility of looking into the transfer market for a replacement, with Doku a player who could arrive.
He said: “We will see. After what happened we will see the possibilities.”
Man City face Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday before a testing league encounter with Newcastle on Saturday.
