Man City are looking to sign an “amazing” £84m star to replace De Bruyne

Manchester City failed to repeat their 2022/23 championship last season, winning one trophy and failing to defend the other two.

It was a historic achievement for Pep Guardiola's side to win the Champions League 12 months ago. Rodri's winner sealed the deal for the Citizens to become the second English club to do so.

However, their last trophy was the Premier League. They just beat Arsenal at the last second, and the Gunners have been flawless for most of the season. However, it was not enough to beat City to their trophy, and Guardiola once again beat his apprentice Mikel Arteta to lift their fourth title in a row.

In the FA Cup, City lost to Manchester United in the final, with goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. Citizens were relegated from the Champions League by the finalists. Real Madrid beat them on penalties in the quarter-finals which sent them packing.

There is no doubt that Guardiola will be desperate to regain his lost trophies next season. To do that, City may need to strengthen the squad and have already been linked with someone who can add quality to their squad.

Man City are targeting a Bundesliga midfielder

The player in question here is Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Jamal Musiala. The 21-year-old has been superb for Bayern over the past few years and has already lit up Euro 2024 in the tournament opener against Scotland, scoring a well-taken goal.

Now, according to a report by highly regarded journalist Fabrizio Romano, City are believed to be looking to make a move for the German this summer. Romano explains that the Premier League champions are “big fans” of the player, and could make a move for him this summer.

The price was not named, but according to Football Observatory, Musiala is worth £84m, although Bayern could ask for more than £100m.

However, Romano explains that the club is not the only one pushing to sign him. Musiala is wanted by a number of unnamed clubs in England's top flight, and The Guardian reported in April that Chelsea were “monitoring” the player. Either way, a return to England could be on the cards, with Musiala spending time in the Blues academy at a young age.

Despite strong links away from Bavaria, Musiala's club want to keep the player this summer and extend the contract of one of the best talents in world football. However, it may not be possible to stop him from joining City if they come calling.

Why Musiala would be a good signing for Man City

Football writer Raphael Honigstein described Musiala as a “thrilling man” in 2022 with his form which has been seen for a long time, despite being only 21 years old.

He played four full seasons in the Bundesliga and just got better and better as each one went on.

Perhaps Musiala's greatest attribute is his playmaking ability. Few players in world football are as kind on the ball as the 21-year-old right now. He glides easily over passers and has lightning-quick feet and a low center of gravity, meaning he can easily change direction.

This is reflected in his Fbref figures. On average in 90 minutes, Musiala tries to take 7.01 points, which puts him in the top 6% of attacking midfielders in Europe, finishing with 4.07 of them, ranking him in the top 1%. This gives him a completion rate of 58.0%, ranking him in the top 2%. It is fair to say that he is one of the best players in Europe right now.

Technically, Musiala is also thriving at Bayern. The German averages 5.10 passes per 90 and 2.05 key passes. His 0.55 per balls per 90 ranks among the best, which puts him in the top 11% of attacking midfielders and shows just how impressive his passing through the line is. The 21-year-old seems to be making things happen on a regular basis, evident in his 0.82 shot creation rate, which puts him in the top 4%.

Outside of football, young talent is amazing. He averages 2.74 combined tackles and interceptions per 90, which puts him in the top 9% of position players. He is a hard worker off the ball, as shown by his 4.65 goals per 90 minutes.

Because of this, the German could be City's Belgian midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne. It was not an easy season for the City veteran, who was struggling due to injuries, and it was reported that he will leave this summer, which he did not deny.

During an interview with Belgian media platform VTM, via Sky Sports, De Bruyne did not close the door to a move to Saudi Arabia this summer. He said “you have to be open to everything” at his age. Turning 33 next week, it would be a good time for City to move on.

Despite good season numbers, injuries marred his campaign. This Belgian player has played only 18 times in the top division, although he managed to get four points, he also grabbed ten assists, showing his bad quality.

However, the 32-year-old missed 41 games for Man City and Belgium during the 2023/24 campaign, the most he has missed in a single campaign, beating the 36 games he missed in 2018/19. It's mainly a muscle injury that has kept him from playing, but he has suffered from a hip injury.

With that in mind, and Musiala's possible departure to Bayern, it could be the right time for a changing of the guard at the Etihad Stadium. It will be expensive for City to do, but it will bring one of the best. The decline in City's quality will not be noticeable, and Musiala could be a better fit than De Bruyne in Guardiola's system that suits him.