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Man City have huge Kevin De Bruyne void to fill this summer as Florian Wirtz eyed with two Premier League stars
There may never be a player like Kevin De Bruyne, but Manchester City must find a way to somehow replace him. The Belgian maestro will leave an incredible legacy behind at the Etihad when he moves on at the end of the season. De Bruyne’s ten-year stint at Manchester City will come to a closeGetty De Bruyne’s exit means incoming sporting director Hugo Viana has one heck of a task in his very first transfer window as he must fill the creative void left by the 33-year-old. Viana, who officially departed Sporting CP in February, will take over from Txiki Begiristain at the end of the season. Work is underway among City’s gurus to whittle down the candidates to succeed De Bruyne ahead of what looms as a major rebuild given the defending Premier League champions won’t make it five league titles in a row. Here, talkSPORT looks at three potential candidates who are understood to be major targets for City in the summer window. Florian Wirtz Given he has 29 caps for Germany and was named as the Bundesliga Player of the Season last year, it’s not hard to see why Florian Wirtz is one of the hottest young talents in world football. The 21-year-old was the star of the show for Bayer Leverkusen last term as he registered 11 goals and 12 assists to help Xabi Alonso‘s side go unbeaten and win their maiden Bundesliga title. Wirtz looked on course to surpass those tallies given he has nine goals and 11 league assists this term but has been sidelined since March with an ankle injury. The German talent is a constant feature as one of the two attacking midfielders in Alonso’s preferred 3-4-2-1 formation. A key trait of Wirtz’s is his absurd ability to thread the needle despite being under immense pressure. According to a Bundesliga article in December , Wirtz had been closed down 423 times by opponents at the halfway point of the season. That figure was over 100 more than any other player in the German top flight, with Michael Olise’s tally of 314 being the next best. Wirtz is one of the brightest young talents in world footballGetty Despite opponents looking to force Wirtz into a mistake, the German talent managed to wriggle free and beat the press an impressive 62 per cent of the time. Given Premier League teams tend to sit back and defend in low blocks when playing against City, Wirtz’s uncanny ability to pick the lock could prove crucial. What also makes Wirtz such a tantalising prospect is the fact he leads the Bundesliga in duels won with a tally of 335, ten more than Hoffenheim’s Tom Bischof. Wirtz’s age and importance to Leverkusen means he is highly unlikely to come cheap, so City must be prepared to break the bank if they want to sign him. Lucas Paqueta Is it a case of second time’s the charm with Manchester City and Lucas Paqueta? Could this become a regular image next season?Getty West Ham rejected an opening bid of around £60million for the Brazilian in the 2023 summer window. Although City looked prepared to come back with another bid, Paqueta’s dream move was derailed when the FA opened an investigation into allegations he had breached betting rules. Pep Guardiola’s side instead opted to sign midfielder Matheus Nunes for over £50m from Wolves that summer but the Portuguese international has been forced to moonlight as a right-back. With Nunes yet to convince Guardiola of his worth and De Bruyne on his way out, the time appears ripe for City to return to the Paqueta sweepstakes with renewed vigour. Although Paqueta has primarily been used as an attacking midfielder for the Hammers this season, he has featured in a wide variety of roles including centre-forward and defensive midfield. The 27-year-old has five goals but is yet to register an assist from 30 appearances across all competitions this term. What makes Paqueta such a tantalising player is for someone with such flair, he is unafraid to get stuck in. Paqueta has made 59 tackles in the league this term, a figure which is bettered by only Aaron Wan-Bissaka among Hammers players. With a proven ability on both sides of the game, it is clear to see why Paqueta was admired by City in the first place and could very well be again when the summer window rolls around. Bruno Guimaraes When City beat Newcastle 2-0 in March 2023, Bruno Guimaraes and Guardiola were seen in close conversation after the final whistle. Guimaraes later revealed Guardiola told him he was ‘a good player’ but insisted that was as far as their chat went. Since then, Guimaraes has gone on to become establish himself as the Magpies’ skipper and the man who makes their midfield tick. GettyGuimaraes has earned the admiration of Guardiola in the past[/caption] When Newcastle is at full strength, Guimaraes forms part of a midfield trio alongside Joelinton and Sandro Tonali. Guimaraes may start a little deeper than Wirtz or Paquet
There may never be a player like Kevin De Bruyne, but Manchester City must find a way to somehow replace him.
The Belgian maestro will leave an incredible legacy behind at the Etihad when he moves on at the end of the season.
De Bruyne’s exit means incoming sporting director Hugo Viana has one heck of a task in his very first transfer window as he must fill the creative void left by the 33-year-old.
Viana, who officially departed Sporting CP in February, will take over from Txiki Begiristain at the end of the season.
Work is underway among City’s gurus to whittle down the candidates to succeed De Bruyne ahead of what looms as a major rebuild given the defending Premier League champions won’t make it five league titles in a row.
Here, talkSPORT looks at three potential candidates who are understood to be major targets for City in the summer window.
Florian Wirtz
Given he has 29 caps for Germany and was named as the Bundesliga Player of the Season last year, it’s not hard to see why Florian Wirtz is one of the hottest young talents in world football.
The 21-year-old was the star of the show for Bayer Leverkusen last term as he registered 11 goals and 12 assists to help Xabi Alonso‘s side go unbeaten and win their maiden Bundesliga title.
Wirtz looked on course to surpass those tallies given he has nine goals and 11 league assists this term but has been sidelined since March with an ankle injury.
The German talent is a constant feature as one of the two attacking midfielders in Alonso’s preferred 3-4-2-1 formation.
A key trait of Wirtz’s is his absurd ability to thread the needle despite being under immense pressure.
According to a Bundesliga article in December , Wirtz had been closed down 423 times by opponents at the halfway point of the season.
That figure was over 100 more than any other player in the German top flight, with Michael Olise’s tally of 314 being the next best.
Despite opponents looking to force Wirtz into a mistake, the German talent managed to wriggle free and beat the press an impressive 62 per cent of the time.
Given Premier League teams tend to sit back and defend in low blocks when playing against City, Wirtz’s uncanny ability to pick the lock could prove crucial.
What also makes Wirtz such a tantalising prospect is the fact he leads the Bundesliga in duels won with a tally of 335, ten more than Hoffenheim’s Tom Bischof.
Wirtz’s age and importance to Leverkusen means he is highly unlikely to come cheap, so City must be prepared to break the bank if they want to sign him.
Lucas Paqueta
Is it a case of second time’s the charm with Manchester City and Lucas Paqueta?
West Ham rejected an opening bid of around £60million for the Brazilian in the 2023 summer window.
Although City looked prepared to come back with another bid, Paqueta’s dream move was derailed when the FA opened an investigation into allegations he had breached betting rules.
Pep Guardiola’s side instead opted to sign midfielder Matheus Nunes for over £50m from Wolves that summer but the Portuguese international has been forced to moonlight as a right-back.
With Nunes yet to convince Guardiola of his worth and De Bruyne on his way out, the time appears ripe for City to return to the Paqueta sweepstakes with renewed vigour.
Although Paqueta has primarily been used as an attacking midfielder for the Hammers this season, he has featured in a wide variety of roles including centre-forward and defensive midfield.
The 27-year-old has five goals but is yet to register an assist from 30 appearances across all competitions this term.
What makes Paqueta such a tantalising player is for someone with such flair, he is unafraid to get stuck in.
Paqueta has made 59 tackles in the league this term, a figure which is bettered by only Aaron Wan-Bissaka among Hammers players.
With a proven ability on both sides of the game, it is clear to see why Paqueta was admired by City in the first place and could very well be again when the summer window rolls around.
Bruno Guimaraes
When City beat Newcastle 2-0 in March 2023, Bruno Guimaraes and Guardiola were seen in close conversation after the final whistle.
Guimaraes later revealed Guardiola told him he was ‘a good player’ but insisted that was as far as their chat went.
Since then, Guimaraes has gone on to become establish himself as the Magpies’ skipper and the man who makes their midfield tick.
When Newcastle is at full strength, Guimaraes forms part of a midfield trio alongside Joelinton and Sandro Tonali.
Guimaraes may start a little deeper than Wirtz or Paqueta, but he is still an all-action midfielder in every sense.
In fact, Guimaraes has made the most tackles of any Newcastle player this term with 60.
He also has three goals and six assists in 29 league fixtures.
However, it is worth noting two goals and five assists came during a nine-game spell from December 4 to January 18.
Guardiola will need far more consistency from Guimaraes if City are to fork out a vast amount of money for him in the summer.
Much was made about Guimaraes’ £100m release clause last year, however no club stumped up the cash before it expired in June.
It’s unlikely to take a nine-figure sum for Newcastle to part ways with their midfield talisman, but City may be tempted to test their resolve in the coming months.
