Manchester City are already planning for life after Kevin de Bruyne as they have identified the player who will fill his boots if he departs this summer.
The mercurial Belgium international is undoubtedly one of Manchester City’s most important players and proved his importance to the team last season when he returned to lead the Cityzens to a fourth consecutive Premier League title with ten assists and four goals. However, it appears that after nine years at the Etihad, the 33-year-old will finally leave this summer.
In a recent interview, De Bruyne, who has just one year left in his deal at Man City, revealed that he is considering his options amid interest from oil-rich clubs in Saudi Arabia. According to reports, Man City will not stand in his way if he decides to leave this summer.
The Cityzens are already planning for life without De Bruyne and have identified Spain international Dani Olmo as a possible replacement should he leave this summer. Although Pep Guardiola’s side has been quiet on the transfer market, their scouts have been busy in Germany at Euro 2024 this summer, watching several players, including the Spanish attacking midfielder.
Olmo is having a good tournament with Spain, who secured a place in the final with a 2-1 win over Germany. The 26-year-old has scored three times in Germany. Although he is not De Bruyne, City believe the RB Leipzig midfielder has a lot to offer. He reportedly has a £51million release clause in his RB Leipzig deal, and according to Give Me Sport, Man City are ‘tempted’ to trigger it in an effort to beat the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, who are also in the race for the 26-year-old.
What Top Six Football Thinks
Although Olmo does not have Kevin de Bruyne’s pedigree, the Spain international has proven that he is a good midfielder. Although he didn’t have the best of campaigns for Leipzig last season, he has shown immense quality in the ongoing European Championship. Despite starting on the bench for three of Spain’s first four games, Olmo has contributed an impressive total of three goals and two assists at this summer’s tournament—more than any other player.
With City now liquid in cash, having secured close to £30m from the sale of Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Tommy Doyle, we believe that the needed £51m to sign Olmo wouldn’t be too much for them.
