Man City swoop for surprise De Bruyne replacement: Pep makes MAJOR change with €60m move

Manchester City’s search for a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne has seen Pep Guardiola turn his attention to Serie A amid a potential tactical shakeup at the Etihad Stadium.

De Bruyne, for so long an icon at the Etihad Stadium, has announced that he will depart the club at the end of his contract in the summer, with a move to the Saudi Pro League on the cards for the Belgian.

Although he has not been at the peak of his form this term, he will leave a large void in the City midfield that needs to be filled.

Morgan Gibbs-White and Florian Wirtz have been suggested as potential players who will be signed to replace De Bruyne, while FootballTransfers understands that Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki is another leading option.

Calciomercato reports that City have set their sights on AC Milan ace Tijani Reijnders and are preparing a bid up to €60 million for the Netherlands international.

Reijnders deal points to tactical change at City

Reijnders recently signed a new contract with the Rossoneri, but that is not about to stop City from prising away a player who has a contract that runs until 2030.

The 26-year-old is extremely versatile, with a capacity to play any role through the centre of the field, though this season he has typically been used as a box-to-box midfielder by Pep Guardiola’s side.

SciSports reports that Reijnders is the third-strongest central midfielder statistically this season in Serie A, with only Juventus pair Teun Koopmeiners and Douglas Luiz surpassing him.

Reijnders vs Serie A midfielders: Overall performance 2024/25

In particular, he has been extremely dangerous going forward, which is played out by the fact he has scored nine goals and created three more in 30 Serie A appearances.

But while he posts an impressive scoring record, he is not the creative force that De Bruyne is. The City player offers 0.35xA per 90 as well as 26.37 chance creation passes per 90. This compares to Koopmeiners’ 0.1xA and 12.51 in the same categories.

The Dutchman, though, does offer a physical element that City have lacked at times, offering a speedy option, which the 33-year-old veteran does not.

Koopmeiners would be a surprising replacement for De Bruyne given the technical mastery with which Guardiola wants his teams to play with, but if this deal were to go through it might signal a move to a higher-tempo approach.