Kevin De Bruyne will leave Manchester City at the end of the season after a decade in the Etihad Stadium, with Morgan Gibbs-White one of those in consideration to replace him
The search of Manchester City for a long-term replacement of Kevin De Bruyne has focused on Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White, according to it. The 25-year-old played a major role this season in Forest's Champions League-Push, but is not the only man on the radar of the city.
De Bruyne will leave the city at the end of the season, after having spent a decade in the Etihad stage. Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz is one of the potential replacements, but Gibbs-White is considered an option as the new sports director Hugo Viana decides to look closer to home.
The Forest Star, which moved to the city group for a club record costs in the summer of 2022, has five goals and seven assists this season. One of those assists came across Pep Guardiola in March, when Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the only goal of the game.
According to athletics, City still has to decide whether they want to search for a like-for-like replacement for De Bruyne from elsewhere or use the current staff in the club. The same publication indicates that every decision will wait for Viana to get his feet under the table, after he has officially started working this week when he takes over from Txiki Begiristain.
However, if they choose the first, Gibbs-White is an option. Both he and Wirtz no longer have a contract in 2027, although the German International – more than three years the junior of Gibbs -White – is expected to have a reimbursement of nine digits.
Gibbs-White was part of the World Cup team of England in 2017, together with the current teammate Hudson-Odoi and City Star Phil Foden. He was made to wait longer for a senior chance, but has made his debut under Lee Carsley and earned compliments from the new boss Thomas Tuchel for his response to the first team of RHT German.
“Morgan is a great character, I have to say,” said Tuchel, who brought the playmaker into the fold after an injury to Cole Palmer. “I'm glad he is with us.
“He deserves a lot of praise, because first of all he got the first disappointment when he got my phone call that he [was] Not in the team. He used it very well, because when he received the second phone call, he was immediately excited and did not take it personally. “
In the meantime, De Bruyne has to decide on his next step. The athletics reports that Inter Miami has the discovery rights of Belgium for Major League Soccer – which gives them the first refusal if the player chooses to lead the state – but he could continue his career elsewhere.
The designated player rule in MLS means that he could only add the club outside the salary limit as one of the current trio of designated players – Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba or Sergio Busquets – leaves the club or sign a new deal on lesser conditions.
There is also interpreted interest in Europe and Saudi Arabia when it comes to the future of De Bruyne. Although his contract ends with City means that clubs do not have to pay compensation, his wages can be unaffordable after he was one of the highest in the Premier League in Manchester for a large part of his time in Manchester.
Become a member of our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of mirror football content. We also deal with our members of the community on special offers, promotions and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can view every time you like. If you are curious, you can read our privacy statement.
Comments