Manchester City identify Nottingham Forest star as Kevin De Bruyne replacement: Report

The Nottingham Forest midfielder has attracted interest from many clubs this season.

Given that Kevin De Bruyne has officially announced his intention to leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the current campaign, Manchester City have identified Morgan Gibbs White to replace De Bruyne at the club.

Dear Manchester. 💙 pic.twitter.com/2EdhVYOLti

— Kevin De Bruyne (@KevinDeBruyne) April 4, 2025

It may take more than one person to help replace a possibly irreplaceable pillar like the Belgian, despite the belief that Phil Foden can just take De Bruyne’s place, as he did the previous season.

Although it will be difficult to sign the Bayer Leverkusen sensation, Manchester City have made contact with Florian Wirtz because they see him as a promising successor to the six-time Premier League champion’s throne.

Given that he has the option of either renewing his current deal or moving to Manchester City or Bayern Munich, Wirtz’s future at Leverkusen remains uncertain.

Morgan Gibbs-White’s amazing season for Nottingham Forest

Morgan Gibbs-White, who has demonstrated to be one of the Premier League’s top attacking midfielders this season, is also admired by Manchester City. The English midfielder has five goals and seven assists in the Premier League this term as Nottingham Forest chase UCL football.

However, David Ornstein has now disclosed that Manchester City have selected the Nottingham Forest virtuoso as a possible Kevin De Bruyne successor because they admire Morgan Gibbs-White so much.

Ornstein further asserted that City’s top goal in the summer transfer window might be to replace Kevin De Bruyne with a new number 10.

Speaking to NBC Sports, David Ornstein said: “Manchester City are embarking on a huge rebuild now and it will be without their talismanic player and that’s why the focus of their recruitment will probably centre on that position, the number 10.”

“The likes of Morgan Gibbs-White in the Premier League will be among the names on their radar. So too Florian Wirtz if you look across the continent and Bayer Leverkusen.”

🚨 Morgan Gibbs White will be among the names on Manchester City’s radar as they look to replace Kevin De Bruyne. 👀(Source: @David_Ornstein) 🤔 𝗗𝗘𝗕𝗔𝗧𝗘: Forest fans, how much is he worth? pic.twitter.com/cKTOMsIZih

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) April 8, 2025

Perhaps the Catalan manager believes Morgan Gibbs-White has what it takes to succeed Kevin De Bruyne, and Pep Guardiola is a big fan of the player.

He also praised the player’s work and said:  “They defend really well, are compact and aggressive. The players up front create many things.”

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