Manchester City dealt setback in quest for Kevin De Bruyne successor: report

Manchester City's search for a key transfer target to replace Kevin De Bruyne seems to have hit a roadblock, as it appears that the Belgian midfielder's time at the club is coming to an end.

De Bruyne is into the final year of his contract at Manchester City, with Saudi Arabian sides reportedly making plans to lure him to the Middle East with the offer of a lucrative deal.

As a result, the recruitment team at the Etihad Stadium have been identifying potential replacements for the Belgian playmaker, but it seems increasingly likely that they'll have to find a different priority, with their favoured target preferring a move elsewhere.

Manchester City to miss out on signing Florian Wirtz

According to Germany, Florian Wirtz is looking to remain in the Bundesliga for the foreseeable future, with Bayern Munich his desried move if he does leave Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

While the report highlights that no talks have taken place between Leverkusen and Bayern over a potential transfer, though the 21-year-old is the German giants' No.1 transfer target.

That will come as a huge blow to Manchester City, who were confident of landing the German attacker, forcing their attention to turn elsewhere. Bayern's young star Jamal Musiala has been linked with a Premier League switch in the past, though prising the 21-year-old away from Bavaria could prove even more difficult than obtaining Wirtz's signature.

Wirtz has picked up where he left off last term, bagging six goals and assisting another in just nine games so far in 2024/25. His 18 goals and 20 assists in all competitions last season was exceptional, highlighting how he is developing into a world-class attacking midfielder.

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If Bayern Munich are to land him, they'll need to stump up more than €100m - though Transfermarkt values him at €130m. Indeed, his contract runs until the summer of 2027, where he could be worth even more if he continues along the same trajectory.

In FourFourTwo's opinion, it seems Wirtz's most likely next move would be to Bayern Munich. Die Roten invariably always manage to snap up the hottest Bundesliga talent, while he'll still have plenty of years remaining in his career to move to La Liga or the Premier League if he so wishes.