Manchester City are looking at Villarreal’s Alex Baena and Paris Saint-Germain’s Xavi Simons as possible long-term replacements for Kevin De Bruyne, according to Fichajes.
KDB has been the subject of heavy interest from multiple Saudi clubs and the rumours are suggesting that he along with Mo Salah are the SPL’s two major transfer targets for the upcoming summer window.
Man City are not ready to lose Kevin De Bruyne and they have already started talks over a new deal but they are also keeping their options open, in case they receive an offer that they can’t refuse. Also, KDB has not talked about his future yet and if he wants to leave then Man City will have to bring in a replacement.
Who is the ideal candidate to replace Kevin De Bruyne at Man City?
Kevin De Bruyne joined Man City from Wolfsburg in 2015 and since then, he’s turned himself into the best playmaker in the Premier League. He’s featured in 370 games for City, scoring 98 and assisting 166 goals.
However, age and injuries are catching up with the 32-year-old and if Pep is really serious about rebuilding his squad then KDB could be sold at the end of this season.
Xavi Simons is the first candidate to replace him who is currently on loan to RB Leipzig from PSG. The 20-year-old has been a consistent performer for Leipzig this season, scoring 9 and assisting 13 goals in 36 appearances and apart from the No. 10 role, Simons can also play in the wider positions.
Given his age, Xavi Simons will be a top candidate to replace De Bruyne but Man City will have to shell out a top amount if they want to bring him on board. His deal with PSG runs until 2027 and his current market value is €70 million which means MCFC will have to pay more than €100 million.
The other candidate is Villarreal’s Alex Baena who happens to be one of the most improved players in the La Liga this season and like Simons, he too has impressive numbers this campaign. He has an xG of 6.16 and an xA of 7.43 in 26 league appearances for Villarreal but the one cause of concern about the 22-year-old is that his passing accuracy is just 77.9% which is far too low if he is being looked at as De Bruyne’s replacement.
Unlike Xavi Simons, Baena will come at a much cheaper transfer fee because his current market value is only €25 million.
It will be almost impossible for Man City to find the ideal replacement for Kevin De Bruyne so the best thing they can do is bring in a top-class attacking midfielder and hope that he can have even half the impact that KDB has had over the years.
On paper, Xavi Simons looks a more ideal candidate because his performances for Leipzig have been really solid and he also has the experience of playing for big clubs like PSG. Also, unlike Baena who’s played only one game for Spain, Simons is a regular feature for the Dutch side with 11 caps against his name since his debut in October 2022.
