Manchester City have made one addition to their first-team squad so far during the summer transfer window, which officially opened for business last month.
Brazil international Savinho has joined on a permanent deal to bolster Pep Guardiola's options on the right side of the attack, after helping Girona to secure Champions League football last season.
The Cityzens won the Premier League title in the 2023/24 season but the Spanish head coach may be hoping for more success in the cup competitions next term.
Man City did not secure a single domestic or European trophy, having won the treble the previous season, and will want to fare better in cups this time around.
Their plans for the new campaign could be dealt a big blow, however, as Kevin de Bruyne has been linked with a move away from The Etihad.
TalkSPORT reports that the Belgium international is a target for Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad but that City are looking for a fee of £100m for him.
The outlet claims that the Saudi Arabian side could be prepared to wait until next summer, when he is a free agent, to make their move for him.
Man City's interest in Bundesliga sensation
Earlier this summer, TEAMtalk reported that the club have drawn up a list of possible replacements for de Bruyne if he were to depart ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
It was claimed that Bayer Leverkusen starlet Florian Wirtz is one of the players they have their eye on, after his exploits for Xavi Alonso's side last season.
The report stated that the Premier League champions are long-time admirers of the Germany international, and they seemingly believe that he would be a good fit to replace the Belgian superstar.
However, TEAMtalk added that it looks likely that the attacking midfielder will remain at Leverkusen for another year before making a move elsewhere.
It has been reported that it would take a fee of £128m to secure his services and it remains to be seen whether or not City are prepared to spend that kind of fee on Wirtz, or any player.
However, if they do lose de Bruyne to Saudi Arabia – whether that is this summer or next – then they should splash the cash to land the German whiz, as he could be their new version of the former Chelsea man at The Etihad moving forward.
What Kevin de Bruyne offers Manchester City
It may go without saying but the Belgian wizard offers exceptional creativity and a big goal threat from a central or attacking midfield position for the Premier League.
Since his move from Wolfsburg back in 2015 for a club-record fee of £55m, de Bruyne has been a constant source of quality in the final third for Man City.
He has racked up 102 goals and 170 assists in 382 matches in all competitions for the Cityzens in all competitions, which shows that he has been a consistent scorer and creator of goals.
De Bruyne is second in Premier League history for assists (112), behind Ryan Giggs, and that illustrates how exceptional his creativity has been over the last nine or so years.
The attacking midfielder missed 41 games for club and country during the 2023/24 campaign but his impact was certainly felt when he was available for selection.
Appearances
18
Goals
4
Assists
10
Big chances created
21
Key passes per game
3.3
As you can see in the table above, the 33-year-old wizard only made 18 appearances in the Premier League due to his injury issues throughout the season.
However, in those 18 outings, de Bruyne created a staggering 21 'big chances' and provided ten assists for his teammates in the final third. To put into context how incredible that was, only two players (Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer) managed more than ten assists in the division last term.
He ranked within the top 1% of midfielders in the Premier League for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.85) and assists per 90 (0.74), which speaks to how amazing his creative play was.
These statistics all show how difficult it will be to replace de Bruyne when he eventually departs, whether that is this year or next, and that is why Guardiola has to splash the cash to unearth his new version of the Belgian star in Wirtz.
Why Florian Wirtz could be Kevin de Bruyne 2.0
Firstly, he would need to be a club-record signing from a Bundesliga club, at £128m from Leverkusen, which mirrors with the current City star's £55m club-record switch from Wolfsburg.
Like De Bruyne was in 2015, Wirtz is also a young player – at the age of 21 – with his best years left ahead of him to grow and develop under Guardiola in the Premier League over the seasons to come.
The Leverkusen star is also a terrific talent whose quality has already been on full display in Germany, as shown by his statistics in the 2023/24 campaign.
Wirtz, who was described as "world class" by analyst Ben Mattinson, racked up an eye-catching return of 18 goals and 20 assists in 49 appearances in all competitions, which shows that he can score and assist goals on a regular basis.
His form in the Bundesliga for Leverkusen was particularly impressive, as you can see in the table below, as he produced 22 direct goal contributions in 26 starts.
Starts
26
Goals
11
Assists
11
Big chances created
12
Key passes per game
2.2
He also ranks within the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Men's Big 5 Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for assists per 90 (0.44), which shows that he is one of the most creative players in Europe right now.
De Bruyne is synonymous with creativity and that is why that particular statistic for Wirtz is a big indicator that he could be Man City's dream replacement for him.
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Like the Belgian ace, the Leverkusen sensation has the quality to consistently make a difference in the final third with goals and assists, which is why Guardiola must swoop to sign him.