Manchester City may have to pay €150 million to sign Kevin De Bruyne replacement in summer transfer window | OneFootball

Etihad Stadium transfer bosses may have to smash Manchester City’s transfer record if they want to secure the signing of their preferred Kevin De Bruyne replacement.

The Belgian international is approaching a crucial phase in his top-level professional playing career, with his existing Manchester City contract expiring at the end of the ongoing season and the midfielder attracting plenty of interest from further afield.

Among the long-term suitors for De Bruyne is Major League Soccer, with some reports claiming that San Diego were among the teams to have made early contact with the midfielder’s representatives.

Saudi Arabia continue to be an option for the 33-year-old and his young family, long eyeing up the biggest names from Premier League football including the Manchester City star alongside the likes of Liverpool’s Mo Salah.

But with doubts over De Bruyne’s future also come claims over Manchester City’s plans beyond the Belgium football icon, as Etihad Stadium bosses look to equip Pep Guardiola with the best-possible replacement for the club’s current captain.

One of those names is believed to be Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, who is continuing to go from strength to strength in German football at such an early age, but as such commands interest from all of Europe’s premier clubs with the finances to make a deal happen.

Now, according to the information of MailSport’s Dominic King, it is reported that Leverkusen have been in negotiations with Wirtz over a contract extension from the existing expiry date of 2027, believing that the German midfielder will commit to a further 12 months at the club.

The report points out that it has been mooted that a €125 million release clause, coming into play in 2026, could be included in any new agreement, although should no new deal be signed then Leverkusen would remain ‘reluctant’ sellers this summer.

MailSport states that any deal agreed after the ongoing season for Wirtz would only take place on their terms and as such at a price tag of €150 million.

Any deal for Manchester City in excess of £100 million would smash their existing record transfer fee spent on an incoming player, set when the club brought in Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in the summer window of 2021.

The Premier League champions have already spent around £175 million on four new arrivals for their first-team squad during the winter transfer window, with Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Nico Gonzalez, and Omar Marmoush joining the club.

Christian McFarlane has also boosted the club’s Academy left-back options in a switch from New York City FC, while Juma Bah completed a move from Real Valladolid before being sent on loan immediately to RC Lens for the remainder of the campaign.