Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia
United Arab Emirates

Man City transfer news: Citizens have 'long-standing admiration' for £68m Kevin De Bruyne replacement

sportsmole.co.uk, 22 July 2024, 20:08
Manchester City are reportedly considering a big-money move for Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze.

The Citizens were credited with an interest in the 26-year-old towards the end of last summer as they explored the transfer market to find replacements for Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez.

Pep Guardiola's side eventually splashed the cash on Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes after they allegedly failed with a £60m bid for Eze on the final day of the transfer window.

Eze went on to establish himself as a standout performer for Crystal Palace in the 2023-24 campaign, scoring 11 goals and registering six assists in 31 appearances across all competitions.

The versatile midfielder, who can operate centrally or on either flank, was rewarded for his impressive performances at club level with a call-up to Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2024.

Man City weighing up move for long-term target Eze?

Eze featured three times as a substitute for the Three Lions, who lost in the final to Spain, and after a post-Euro 2024 break, he will soon shift his focus back to club duty, with Palace heading to the United States for their pre-season tour.

Palace's No.10 was strongly linked with a possible exit from Selhurst Park prior to his involvement at Euro 2024, and since the tournament has finished, he continues to be tipped with a big-money transfer elsewhere.

The likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have all been credited with an interest in the midfielder this summer, as have Premier League champion Man City.

According to The Mirror, the Citizens have a 'long-standing admiration' for Eze and are particularly impressed by his low maintenance temperament and his ability to play in a variety of different positions.

The report adds that Man City are considering a move Eze, who has three years left on his Palace contract that includes a £60m release plus add-ons, increasing his value to around £68m.

Eze in, De Bruyne out at Man City?

Man City's interest in Eze comes at a time when star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is facing an uncertain future at the Etihad Stadium having now entered the final year of his contract.

The 33-year-old is the longest-serving player with Guardiola's current squad having spent the last nine seasons at the club recording 102 goals and 170 assists in 382 games as well as winning a total of 16 trophies.

There have recently been conflicting reports about De Bruyne and a potential move to Saudi Arabia, with it now understood that the Belgium international is yet to agree terms to join Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad.

Nevertheless, Al Ittihad are thought to be pushing to complete the statement signing of the playmaker, who has previously admitted that he may find it difficult to turn down a big-money contract offer from the Middle East having now entered the latter stages of his career.

De Bruyne has not been included in Man City's initial pre-season squad ahead of their tour of the United States, but he is expected to link up with Guardiola's side due course.

Show more

Top News

24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Lithuania vs. Finland (Monday, 5.00pm) Aiming to extend their successful start to World Cup qualifying, Finland will visit Lithuania on Monday evening, for the second game of their Group G campaign. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea will reportedly have to pay a penalty price of £5m if they renege on their obligation to sign Jadon Sancho in the summer transfer window. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly braced for competition from Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Sunderland's Chris Rigg. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Virgil Van Dijk has reportedly decided to end his time at Liverpool, with Paris Saint-Germain touted as a likely destination. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Virgil Van Dijk has reportedly decided to end his time at Liverpool, with Paris Saint-Germain touted as a likely destination. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea must pay Manchester United £5million if they don't sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent deal this summer, talkSPORT understands. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk France dramatically completed a terrific UEFA Nations League comeback over Croatia as they reached the semi-finals with a 5-4 penalty-shootout win following a 2-0 quarter-final second-leg victory and 2-2 aggregate draw at the Stade de France. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal advanced into the UEFA Nations League semi-finals after beating Denmark 5-2 in the second leg at home on Sunday night, winning 5-3 on aggregate after extra time. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Spain booked their spot in the semi-finals of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League courtesy of a penalty-shootout success over the Netherlands on Sunday night, with the two teams finally being separated after two blockbuster contests. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Michael Owen has revealed the formation he would have gone with to unlock the best of England's Golden Generation. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Phil Parkinson says win, lose or draw, Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have his back. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Julian Nagelsmann's Germany scraped into the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League after drawing 3-3 in a dramatic quarter-final second leg against Italy at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday night. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Egypt will aim to make it back-to-back wins in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when they welcome Sierra Leone to the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday for a matchday six encounter. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In-form Ecuador will make the trip to Santiago to face Chile in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday knowing they are within touching distance of reaching the finals. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton have reportedly identified Genoa centre-back Koni De Winter as a potential replacement for Manchester United-linked Jarrad Branthwaite. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo was denied from the penalty spot just six minutes into Portugal's crucial Nations League clash with Denmark. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Alisson Becker, Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes and Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes will all drop out of the Brazil starting lineup for Tuesday's World Cup 2026 qualifying clash against rivals Argentina. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul is pushing to start Tuesday's World Cup 2026 qualifying clash against Brazil in Buenos Aires. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Edin Dzeko has shown off the brutal facial injury he suffered playing for Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Mohamed Salah wants to stay at Liverpool even though he hasn't yet agreed a new deal. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina will look to officially secure their place at World Cup 2026 when they face rivals Brazil in Tuesday's clash at Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Morocco will look to continue their impressive start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they host Tanzania at Stade Municipal on Tuesday. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria have announced their starting lineups for Sunday's fixture in the UEFA Nations League. 23 March 2025 talksport.com It's almost been eight years since Andrea Pirlo retired from football, but he hasn't lost his world-class free-kick abilities. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Malaga's teenage winger Antonio Cordero ahead of the summer transfer window. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly set their asking price for Ferran Torres, with the versatile attacker expected to be on the move during this summer's transfer window. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Steve Bruce has passionately responded to Dwight Gayle after he claimed he 'didn't do tactics' when in charge of Newcastle. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji this summer. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Luka Modric has revealed that he is yet to speak with Real Madrid over his future beyond the end of the campaign.