Manchester City are gearing up for a big summer of spending as they look to rebuild their struggling side and fill it with more young talent – with Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz eyed as a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne
Manchester City hope to bring top target Florian Wirtz to the Etihad this summer – and could use James McAtee to do it.
City are embarking on a rebuild under Pep Guardiola after their turbulent season saw them fall away from the Premier League title race and suffer some damaging results. They were beaten 2-0 at home to Liverpool on Sunday and are 20 points behind the league leaders.
The club are approaching a crossroads moment and as many as eight of their ageing players could be axed this summer, including Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker.
City splashed out around £180million on new arrivals in January, with Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Victor Reis all joining as chiefs look towards exciting young talent. They are the club’s future, according to Guardiola.
They are likely to be active again in the summer in a bid to catapult themselves back into the title race after watching Liverpool gazump them this term and Bayer Leverkusen and Germany ace Wirtz has emerged as their primary target.
Wirtz is seen as the perfect like-for-like replacement for De Bruyne – whose deal expires this summer – after showing off his superb creative displays in the middle of the park under Leverkusen Xabi Alonso.
He has 15 goals and 11 assists in all competitions for the Bundesliga side to confirm his name as one of Europe’s most prestigious talents, with City likely to be at the front of the queue.
City star McAtee is also a target for Leverkusen this summer. They missed out on a loan move in January and they are keeping tabs on the 22-year-old. Their interest could be hugely important to City’s hopes of getting a deal for Wirtz over the line with a potential swap deal working for both parties.
But it wouldn’t be a swap as in the same deal – for PSR purposes, it would be completed as two separate transactions – which would further enhance City’s ability to spend this summer, given ALL the money from McAtee’s exit would go on their balance sheet.
McAtee may jump at the chance for more regular football after being yet to get his big break at the Etihad. The 22-year-old hasn’t started a Premier League game yet but has still managed six goals in all competitions.
He has already seen Cole Palmer leave City and become a star at Chelsea, while also seeing young English talent like Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho and Jamie Gittens find success in the Bundesliga.
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