Man City line up Premier League record bid for De Bruyne replacement as star REFUSES new deal

Robin Bairner

13 Feb 2025 02:18 CST
3 min read

Kevin De Bruyne, Man City, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Manchester City face a summer of change, with manager Pep Guardiola lining up a new €100 million signing to replace Kevin De Bruyne at the Etihad Stadium.

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City spent big during the winter transfer window in a bid to rejuvenate an ailing campaign, yet there has been no instant improvement for Guardiola and his team.

Current ETV

Kevin De Bruyne

AM, M (C)

Man City

Kevin De Bruyne

AM, M (C)

Man City

ETV Range

€23.9M - €29.2M

A 5-1 thumping against Arsenal was followed by a laboured 2-1 win over Leyton Orient in the FA Cup and a 3-2 defeat against Real Madrid in the Champions League, a match in which City again threw away a lead.

Now a summer overhaul looks likely, with Guardiola lining up a bid worth “more than €100m” to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen as the heir to De Bruyne at Man City, according to Fichajes.

The Belgium international, for so long a driving creative force, is poised to leave as a free agent at the end of his contract. A move to the Saudi Pro League looks likely for the 33-year-old.

STATS

Florian Wirtz

AM (C)

Bayer 04

Florian Wirtz

AM (C)

Bayer 04

34

Games
15

Goals
11

Assists

Wirtz, meanwhile, has 15 goals and 11 assists for Leverkusen this season and at 21 is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in European football.

City will do well to land him for the €100m quoted, though. Wirtz’s Expected Transfer Value (ETV) stands at €123m, which is a figure that would represent a new club-record signing for Guardiola’s big-spending side.

Indeed, this figure would also represent a new Premier League record, beating the €121m that Chelsea spent on Enzo Fernandez in January 2023 when they signed him from Benfica.

© IMAGO - Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen

Bernardo Silva refuses new Man City contract

De Bruyne isn’t the only long-standing Man City star set to leave in the summer, with Bernardo Silva also ready to depart after revealing that he will not extend his contract with the Etihad club, Fichajes adds.

The former Monaco midfielder, 30, is under contract until June 2026 and will, therefore, be on the transfer market in the summer.

Man City, for their part, are still hopeful that Bernardo will sign a new deal.