Manchester City Planning Midfield Overhaul as Kevin De Bruyne Announces Exit

Manchester City are preparing a major midfield overhaul following the confirmed departure of Kevin De Bruyne at the end of the season, according to ESPN. The shift marks a generational change led by new sporting director Hugo Viana, who took the role just two weeks ago.

Adding to the uncertainty, Ilkay Gündogan and Bernardo Silva are also likely to leave, prompting City to identify creative and dynamic midfielders as potential replacements.

Top attacking midfield targets include:

• Florian Wirtz (21) from Bayer Leverkusen — creative player with 18 goals this season
• Xavi Simons (21) from RB Leipzig — Barcelona academy product with excellent vision
• Nico Paz (20) from Como — young Argentine talent catching attention
• Morgan Gibbs-White (25) from Nottingham Forest — versatile player with five goals and seven assists
• Dejan Kulusevski (24) from Tottenham — quick transition specialist

Box-to-box midfielder shortlist:

• Tijjani Reijnders (26) from AC Milan — dynamic midfielder with 14 goals this season
• Conor Gallagher (25) from Atletico Madrid — hardworking player with solid defensive abilities
• Éderson (25) from Atalanta — ball-winning specialist with high mobility

Despite having financial muscle, City must tread carefully in the transfer market due to the 115 charges of Premier League rule breaches, and uncertainty over their Champions League eligibility next season.