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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants to build his new-look team around a £125m superstar
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Manchester City are said to be preparing an eye-watering £125 million bid for a new midfielder. Pep Guardiola wants to bring more new faces to Etihad Stadium in the coming months with rumoured exits suggesting Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Ederson could all be leaving the club this year. The reigning Premier League champions have just the FA Cup left to win this season after a torrid run of results – but could be about to smash their transfer record, currently held by Jack Grealish. "In that situation, he has to decide, that is the most important thing, " said Guardiola earlier this year when asked if De Bruyne would stay at the club. "He's completely honest with himself, to decide what he feels and what he can do in the next period of his life. " It is those coy comments that many believe indicate De Bruyne will leave Manchester City this summer, especially given his slow decline this season. But who comes in to replace him? Being linked with a move to Manchester City holds a certain weight of expectation, but when it comes to Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz, his talents are already clear for all to see. TEAMtalk says City have already prepared a whopping £125 million bid for the 21-year-old who is reportedly keen to continue his development by playing more UEFA Champions League football next year. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Wirtz, ranked at no. 3 in Four Four Two's list of the best attacking midfielders in the world right now, began to catch the eye of several clubs with his jaw-dropping displays at Euro 2024 in his home country last year. Now, with another year of top-level football under his belt in Germany, Wirtz is highly thought of by Manchester City's scouts and is already 'intrigued' at the thought of linking up with the Cityzens this summer. In Four Four Two's opinion, Wirtz's future depends on whether manager Xabi Alonso stays with Leverkusen. The former Liverpool midfielder has been linked with a move to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid and could now feel it is the perfect time to make that jump. Matthew is a Freelance Journalist and has racked up bylines for Manchester United, Manchester Evening News, GOAL and SPORTbible to name a few. A long-term sufferer of Scunthorpe United, he currently resides in the north-west after escaping the smog of North Lincolnshire. Liverpool report: Huge Mohamed Salah contract breakthrough touted Liverpool finally get green light for Darwin Nunez replacement: report Liverpool report: Shock Barcelona meeting with Trent Alexander-Arnold revealed
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