Florian Wirtz one of FIVE confirmed Man City targets as Hugo Viana prepares for exit of leading star

The departure of Kevin de Bruyne from Manchester City this summer will leave a creative void in their squad and the club are exploring potential replacements for the Belgian international.

The Cityzens’ are set to be busy this summer under new sporting director Hugo Viana, who has been tasked with building a squad capable of dominating European football again.

De Bruyne, 33, has already that he will be leaving City when his contract expires. The only question is whether he will depart before or after the Club World Cup.

TEAMtalk understands that there is a possibility of City extending De Bruyne’s contract by a few weeks so he can play in the CWC, which ends in mid-July. It will all come down to De Bruyne and whether he has agreed a deal with another club. Naturally, his next club may have reservations about De Bruyne playing at the Club World Cup after a long season.

We don’t yet have total clarity yet on when De Bruyne’s final game for City will be. As for next season, there is interest in MLS and Saudi Arabia, although as previously reported, San Diego are not in the race in any more, despite holding initial talks. However, Inter Miami now hold his discovery rights, although it’s unclear whether they will be able to proceed given their three designated player slots are currently full.

Sources state that there will be a midfield revamp at City this summer, and in some senses it already started with Omar Marmoush. That’s because the attacker was essentially signed to play in either the De Bruyne or Haaland role, a bit like Julian Alvarez.

City’s dream target is Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz, but signing him won’t be easy. Pep Guardiola’s side have other options on the shortlist in case they miss out on Wirtz, including Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.

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Man City shortlist FIVE potential De Bruyne replacements

Wirtz would be a costly signing for City. Leverkusen have already put a contract offer on the table, which if signed would keep him with them for at least another season.

Any new deal would likely include a release clause, so Wirtz’s suitors would have to wait until the summer of 2026 to get him.

There’s no guarantee that City will be able to sign the German international even if they bid north of £100m this summer. He’s their ideal target, but there are obstacles to an agreement. Most notably, Bayern are also set to enter the race, and Wirtz may decide to stay in Germany.

City have also looked at Atalanta midfield pair Ederson and Charles de Ketelaere previously. They were discussed under outgoing sporting director Txiki Begiristain, so it remains to be seen if they’ll still be a target for Viana.

There is still long-standing interest in Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, too. The Brazilian would be another expensive signing, and will potentially prove impossible to get if the Magpies qualify for the Champions League.

City enquired about Guimaraes last summer, as did Arsenal, and if he becomes genuinely available those two clubs could be ones to watch.

Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers could also come into the thinking, but no concrete moves towards him have been made yet.

When you assess these targets, not all are De Bruyne type players, and that’s because City will likely be looking for more of a box-to-box midfielder, or even a six. Although Ballon d’Or winner Rodri will be back for next season, Ilkay Gungodan is out of contract in June as it stands, so he will also need replacing if he goes.

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