Manchester City hold ambitious idea to sign Bayern Munich superstar as Kevin De Bruyne replacement

Kevin De Bruyne’s replacement has reportedly already been identified in an idea discussed within Manchester City ahead of the upcoming months and years.

The Belgium international is firmly within the twilight years of his top-level professional playing career, and while the expectation remains that he will be with Pep Guardiola’s squad for the forthcoming season, conversation around his next steps in the game continues.

The ongoing summer market has seen the 33-year-old consistently linked with a switch to Saudi Arabia and a blockbuster pay package on offer to the midfielder, while Major League Soccer has been discussed in recent days as another opportunity beyond Manchester City.

For now however, City officials will continue to have their work cut out to try and secure a firm contingency plan for the playmaker, in what some will view as an almost-impossible task to try and replace a player of that calibre.

The Premier League champions can get as close as they can to top-level, world-class quality in De Bruyne’s position beyond the former Chelsea man’s tenure at the Etihad Stadium, and that has led them in the direction of one of Germany’s breakthrough stars.

Speaking to CaughtOffside as part of his exclusive Fact Files column, journalist Christian Falk has revealed the idea being floated within the Etihad Stadium over their longer-term future without club legend Kevin De Bruyne.

“There is an idea at Manchester City to try and sign him (Jamal Musiala) as the successor of Kevin De Bruyne,” Falk revealed. “I don’t know if the Belgian international will leave this summer or in the next, but the story of De Bruyne at Manchester City is coming to an end.”

Christian Falk continued, “Musiala grew up in England and I think he’s always got one eye on the Premier League, so this would be the next big danger for Bayern. If they lose him and didn’t sign Xavi Simons, they’d have to go for Florian Wirtz, which would be very expensive.”

But is there a realistic chance of Jamal Musiala exiting Bayern Munich any time soon, especially given his remarkable performances for the Bundesliga club in recent seasons?

Falk went on to explain, “If (Joshua) Kimmich and (Alphonso) Davies leave, the level of the team will suffer, which is a point of concern for Musiala; he wants a team like Jude Bellingham has at Real Madrid where you can compete for the Champions League title every year.”

The latest concerning Manchester City and Jamal Musiala follows a report earlier in the summer claiming that Etihad Stadium officials were planning a big push to sign the Bayern Munich attacking midfielder this summer.

However, since that report first issued in mid-April, there has been no movement from Manchester City in recruitment around the role, and Pep Guardiola has since indicated that no further signings may be made at the Etihad Stadium.

City’s only incoming activity thus far has sign Brazil international winger Savinho join the club on a five-year contract through until the summer of 2029, in a deal understood to be worth an initial £21 million and rising to around £33.6 million through add-ons.