Man City battling to sign £60m “sensation”

Manchester City lost one of their key players over the summer. Kevin De Bruyne departed the club after a decade, leaving as one of the all-time great players, not only in City’s history, but in the entirety of the Premier League, given his record and the fact that he is a six-time champion.

He featured 422 times for the Citizens in total, scoring 108 goals and assisting a remarkable 117 times. His loss is certainly going to impact City, as the Belgian legend embarks on a new adventure for Scudetto winners Napoli, under Antonio Conte.

With De Bruyne gone, City will need to replace him well to ensure they maximise the likes of Erling Haaland. In recent days, a shock link has emerged for Pep Guardiola’s side.

City’s latest transfer targets

It will be fascinating to see just how much money City spend before the end of the 2025 summer transfer window. Reports in recent days suggest they are plotting an ambitious £85m move for Real Madrid winger Rodrygo.

The Brazilian might not be the only marquee player through the door at the Etihad Stadium before the window slams shut. According to talkSPORT, they are ‘contemplating a stunning hijack’ for Chelsea’s deal to sign RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons.

The Dutchman has been a long-term target for the West Londoners this summer and has agreed personal terms, but City could ‘come in and try to complete a deal themselves’, with no fee yet agreed.

Leipzig are looking for £60m, and with Chelsea around £10m, it could give City a chance to hijack the move.

Why Simons would be a good signing

There is no doubt that Simons is a hugely exciting talent. The Leipzig attacker, who can play right across the frontline, has shone in the last couple of years for the German side, and was once described as a “sensation” by football scout Antonio Mango.

Last season, the youngster, who is still just 22 years of age, played 33 times for Leipzig, scoring 11 times and assisting a further eight goals. He struggled with an ankle injury and missed a large portion of the season between October and December.

Some of his stats from the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign are impressive and show his ability to create chances in the final third. For example, the former Barcelona academy star averaged 5.86 progressive passes and 2.13 key passes each game, placing him in the top 5% and 15% respectively.

It is that kind of creativity that will serve Haaland well. The Norwegian striker has been a revelation for City and has a sensational record for the club. In 146 games, he’s found the back of the net 124 times, chipping in with 21 assists.

Yet, taking a player with the quality of De Bruyne out of the City team would surely impact Haaland if they don’t replace him well. The pair combined for 25 goals, and Haaland has never linked up with a player more times in his career, as per Transfermarkt.

It is certainly a big job for Simons if he were to step into De Bruyne’s shoes this season. Just looking at the numbers he managed to put up with Haaland shows just how dominant the pair were together.

Yet, the Dutchman, who was born in Amsterdam, has put up some fantastic numbers over the past couple of seasons and is a consistent chase creator, as the above number showed. It is easy to imagine Haaland getting on the end of passes such as this one to new Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko.

Of course, £60m is a huge investment for City to make, given they have bought a lot of players already this summer. Yet, they need a quality De Bruyne replacement, and Simons has the ability to become that player.

Haaland would love a new De Bruyne this season, and perhaps City have found their answer in the talented young Dutchman.