Manchester City ready to sanction €150 million investment on number one Kevin De Bruyne replacement target | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City are reportedly ready to invest €150 million to secure their number one target to replace Kevin De Bruyne at the Etihad Stadium.

The Belgium international confirmed earlier this month that after 10 years at Manchester City, the ongoing campaign would be his final season with the club – who have made the decision not to extend his contract.

As such, Manchester City will see De Bruyne be allowed to join any interested party for free with the player himself open to all opportunities amid interest from Saudi Arabia and the United States, while not closing the door on remaining in Europe.

The exit of the 33-year-old also hands incoming director of football Hugo Viana the ultimate first task of replacing one of Manchester City and the Premier League’s greatest ever footballers, with very few names within the game available to take on the challenge.

However, Manchester City do have one preferred candidate having been linked with the likes of Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, with attentions firmly placed on the Bayer Leverkusen star, Florian Wirtz.

Now, according to the information of BILD – as translated and relayed by Get German Football News – Manchester City are ready to ‘immediately’ pay Leverkusen’s €150 million asking price for Wirtz and offer the player around €25 million a year in salary.

It is further claimed that City manager Pep Guardiola has already ‘sat down’ with Florian Wirtz and explained how the Germany international would fit into the system at the Etihad Stadium and replace Kevin de Bruyne.

However, from the side of Wirtz’s father, it is claimed that his preference would be for his son to move to Bayern Munich having met several times with Uli Hoeneß. For Leverkusen, they do not want to strengthen a direct competitor.

There does remain a firm desire from within the Bayer Leverkusen offices to retain Florian Wirtz for another season, and extending his contract in the process through until the summer of 2028.

The club do of course remain aware of the player’s desire and ambitions within the game, and mindful of that fact, they are willing to sanction a sale this summer or in 2026 at different price tags.

Having endured complications in the striking department after Sergio Aguero’s exit from the club in 2021, Manchester City will want to avoid similar circumstances this time around and ensure that their future beyond De Bruyne is secured from the off.

The club will no doubt be mindful of the investment that is required across their playing squad though, and any large funding put into a deal for Florian Wirtz will need to take into account the needs of other positions in a summer market that is anticipated to be busy.