Manchester City captain Kevin De Bruyne will leave the club this summer after 11 glory-laden years at the Etihad.
The Belgian has made over 400 appearances for the club, but his contract won’t be extended into the 2025/26 season.
This means Pep Guardiola will be on the lookout for a potential replacement for the 33-year-old when the summer transfer window opens in a few weeks.
There have been a few names linked, and one is starring in the Premier League already; Morgan Gibbs-White.
Manchester City make Morgan Gibbs-White a key target
According to the Daily Mail, City are now considered the frontrunners to sign the Englishman in a mega summer deal.
Any potential move will cost the club significantly, however, as Nottingham Forest value the midfielder at around the £100m mark.
They have paid this fee before, signing Jack Grealish in the summer of 2021, but will they look to splash out again? Especially given their spending spree in January.
Gibbs-White has been impressive this term. Across 31 matches, he has scored five goals and grabbed nine assists, helping Forest into the Champions League places in the table.
Do City have to spend this sort of money to find a De Bruyne replacement ahead of next season? Or do they have one lurking in the academy, waiting to be unleashed in 2025/26?
How City can forget De Bruyne and Gibbs-White
Guardiola has been brewing several young talents over the last couple of seasons. The likes of Phil Foden and Rico Lewis have made great strides under the Spaniard while Nico O’Reilly is now forging a real career for himself at the Eithad.
Yet, he’s not the only youngster looking to make a positive impression heading in the 2025/26 campaign.
Indeed, Divine Mukasa could well be the next one to make the step up and showcase his prodigious talents for the club.
U18 Premier League
20
16
15
Premier League 2
2
0
0
UEFA Youth League
8
0
3
EFL Trophy
2
0
1
FA Youth Cup
5
1
6
The 17-year-old has been in simply sublime form this term, scoring 17 times while also registering 25 assists across just 37 matches for the U18s and U21s this term, highlighting how effective he has been in the final third.
In The Pipeline
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Academy scout Antonio Mango has hailed Mukasa as a “game changer” amid his wonderful contributions this season, and it looks like the time has arrived for Guardiola to unleash him at senior level.
He has even gained caps at U18 level for England, making his debut against Portugal in September last year and going on to play a further four times for his country at the time of writing.
A natural attacking midfielder, there is no doubt Mukasa could be City’s very own Gibbs-White should he make the grade at senior level. He has a keen eye for goal, but also loves creating plenty of chances for others in the final third.
If Guardiola wants to save the club around £100m, promoting the 17-year-old and giving him a few minutes here and there could be the best policy ahead of next term.
After a few years, the supporters might even forget about the exploits of De Bruyne with Mukasa himself having compared himself to the Belgian.
It’s safe to say this kid is the real deal. That much is certain.
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1 ByKelan Sarson
