Pep Guardiola’s two main transfer targets to succeed Kevin De Bruyne at Manchester City can easily be narrowed down to one.
De Bruyne’s long-anticipated departure from the Etihad Stadium was confirmed in an Instagram post from the Belgian on 4 April, as he prepares to bring the curtain down on 10 trophy-laden seasons at City.
The 33-year-old has mustered 70 goals and 188 assists in the Premier League for Guardiola’s side, and his imminent exit from east Manchester leaves Man City with a potentially unfillable hole in their midfield.
Phil Foden has been tipped as De Bruyne’s long-term successor for years of the two winning title after title, but Foden’s performances of late have left questions marks over his ability to step into the breach.
Gibbs-White, Wirtz identified as Man City targets
The hunt for De Bruyne’s successor is already underway at the Etihad, albeit City are waiting until Hugo Viana arrives to succeed Txiki Begiristain as their director of football before launching direct approaches.
David Ornstein reported for The Athletic on 8 April that Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Florian Wirtz of Bayern Leverkusen lead their list of potential summer targets, with both in red-hot form.
| Player | Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists | Yellow/Red Cards |
| Florian Wirtz | 39 | 31 | 15 | 13 | 6 |
| Morgan Gibbs-White | 30 | 28 | 5 | 9 | 7/1 |
Wirtz is valued at an eye-watering £128million by Leverkusen and is their talisman under Xabi Alonso, and at 21, the German international is four years Gibbs-White’s junior with a higher ceiling of potential.
Gibbs-White’s five Premier League goals and nine assists have driven Nottingham Forest’s rise above City and towards the Champions League places, but Nuno Espirito Santo will also be loathe to lose him.
Gibbs-White to make guaranteed impact for Man City
There are no certainties that City sign either Gibbs-White, Wirtz or choose to look for a successor within, in the form of someone like Nico O’Reilly, but amid a summer of mass change, Guardiola’s choice is clear.
Shelling out £128m on Wirtz – smashing the British transfer record in the process – would be a high risk, high reward strategy, but given the level of risk in signing Bundesliga players, City could look elsewhere.
De Bruyne is the gold standard when it comes to transfers from the Bundesliga, but if Guardiola is aiming to replicate the Belgian’s all-action style of play, Gibbs-White is a much better stylistic fit for City.
Gibbs-White wouldn’t come cheap if he is to leave Forest, but he certainly won’t set them back anything close to the fee demanded for Wirtz, and with other areas to address this summer, the England international represents a much safer bet for City.
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