Man City dealt blow in pursuit of potential Kevin De Bruyne replacement

Manchester City’s hopes of signing Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen this summer appear to have taken a hit.

The 21-year-old has been earmarked as a potential replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, who is leaving the club in the summer at the end of his contract.

Wirtz played an instrumental role in Leverkusen’s maiden Bundesliga title win last season, and the German playmaker has continued to dazzle domestically, on the European stage and at international level.

A potential stumbling block for City, as well as other interested parties Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, has been Wirtz’s alleged €150m (£130m) asking price, as well as recent reports that he could sign a new contract at Leverkusen that includes a release clause – guaranteeing the club a healthy amount of money when the time comes to cash in.

That time may not be this summer, judging by new comments from Leverkusen’s CEO Fernando Carro. He’s said there’s a “very high probability” that Wirtz will not be on the move this summer and also stated “he has a contract with us [until June 2026], he feels good here. We’re planning for the next season with him.”

Carro is thought to be equally as confident about the future of Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso, who has been tipped to succeed Carlo Ancelotti at former club Real Madrid.

As for City, they could turn elsewhere if they’re not able to coax Wirtz away from Leverkusen, but must find a player who has the same X-factor and game-changing ability of De Bruyne. The 33-year-old, despite being past his best, lit up the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to inspire City to come from 2-0 down to beat Crystal Palace 5-2.

De Bruyne scored a free-kick to get City back into the game, before laying on a perfectly weighted pass for Mateo Kovacic’s go-ahead goal. It was the Belgian’s 119th assist of his Premier League career – one that has seen him pick up six top-flight titles during his decade-long tenure.