Manchester City's "ace" may head to Saudi Arabia, Guardiola identifies ideal replacement! £60 million bid for Premier League starter.

Earlier, a bombshell news shook Manchester City fans. British media TEAtalk exclusively reported that Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has reached an agreement on personal terms with Al-Ittihad, and next Al-Ittihad will negotiate the transfer fee with Manchester City.

Honestly, there have been multiple media reports about De Bruyne moving to Saudi Arabia, starting last summer. But at that time De Bruyne was not ready to leave Manchester City, so it ultimately didn't happen. Last season De Bruyne followed Manchester City to win the league title again, and then rumors resurfaced. And De Bruyne also expressed willingness to leave Manchester City and join the Saudi league in interviews. "If I play there for two years, I could earn a lot, a lot of money. Before that I've played for 15 years, and the money I earned probably wasn't that much." This statement clearly reveals De Bruyne's mindset.

He has played in European football for 15 years, and at Manchester City for 9 seasons, achieving a full set of club honors. Six Premier League titles, one Champions League, five League Cups, one UEFA Super Cup, two Community Shields, two FA Cups, one Club World Cup, and also multiple titles during his time in the Belgian and German leagues. So, for De Bruyne who is already 33, leaving Manchester City at this time is not too difficult a decision. If a lucrative contract is presented, there's even less hesitation.

It's hard to imagine Manchester City's future without De Bruyne, but for Manchester City and Guardiola, this day will come sooner or later. Over the past 9 years, De Bruyne has been Manchester City's absolute midfield ace, the hub of the team's attack, scoring 102 goals and providing 168 assists in 382 matches, becoming the club's all-time assist leader. But recently De Bruyne's age has increased, injuries have become more frequent, and his presence has started to decline, which is an undeniable fact. So, Guardiola must consider the topic of succession.

If De Bruyne can leave a substantial transfer fee at this time, that would also be a decent outcome. According to the same TEAtalk report, Guardiola already has several replacement candidates: João Neves, Xavi Simons, Florian Wirtz, and Jamal Musiala, but signing any of these players this summer is quite difficult.

João Neves has already become a target for Paris Saint-Germain, and the two clubs are discussing the transfer fee. Moreover, João Neves does not have the ability to succeed De Bruyne; Xavi Simons is currently a target for Bayern Munich, and Jamal Musiala is Bayern's midfield core, making it even less likely. Florian Wirtz is the most suitable choice and most favored by Manchester City fans, but this player has no plans to leave this summer.

Earlier, the British Mirror reported that because Al-Ittihad offered De Bruyne a lucrative contract, Guardiola is weighing their options, and Eberechi Eze is a player he is very interested in, but Tottenham also has interest in this player. However, if Manchester City persists in their pursuit of Eze, then Eze should choose Manchester City. Eze currently has three years left on his contract with Crystal Palace, and his contract includes a £60 million release clause plus additional terms.

After Olise's departure, Crystal Palace certainly won't want to let Eze go as well. Last season Eze played 31 matches for Crystal Palace, scoring 11 goals and providing 6 assists, performing excellently and being selected for England's Euro squad. But does Eze have the ability to succeed De Bruyne? This is clearly not favored by Manchester City fans either.

In summary, finding a successor for De Bruyne is not an easy task, just like Barcelona previously hoping to find successors for "Xavi-Iniesta-Busquets", it's always something that is encountered rather than sought.