Manchester City have the unenviable task of trying to replace Kevin De Bruyne this summer.
The Belgian is leaving the Etihad Stadium having spent 10 years at the Manchester club, after City decided not to offer the 33-year-old a new deal ahead of the 2025/26 season.
De Bruyne is expected to join Napoli over the coming weeks, which could see Man City meet the midfielder again in the future, as there is the possibility of them playing each other in the Champions League next season.
City already have a list of players drawn up to replace De Bruyne in Pep Guardiola’s squad, however, Paul Scholes thinks one of their top targets is not good enough to fill the shoes of the Premier League legend.
Morgan Gibbs-White is not a good Kevin De Bruyne replacement
Man City are currently working on a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White as the Englishman is one of the Manchester club’s top targets; however, Nottingham Forest could demand £100m to part ways with the 25-year-old.
Speaking about Gibbs-White and De Bruyne on The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes has suggested that the Nottingham Forest star is not a good enough replacement for the Man City legend.
“No, is there anyone in the Premier League? Is there any top… How do you replace a player like that?” Carragher said. To which Scholes replied: “He’s very hard to replace. How do you replace him?”.
Carragher would then say: “There’s talk of Morgan Gibbs-White, isn’t there?”
To which Scholes answered back with: “He’s not the same. Gibbs-White isn’t the same. When it first got mentioned that he was going to be released, I felt it was probably the right time, and then I’d say the last couple of weeks he started to look all right again, hadn’t he?”
In addition to Gibbs-White, Man City are also showing interest in Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, which is a signing many other Premier League clubs would be impressed by.
Both are likely to arrive at the Etihad Stadium over the coming weeks, and the signing of Gibbs-White could be a very useful one for City, as the 25-year-old had an impressive 2024/25 campaign.
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How Morgan Gibbs-White compares to Kevin De Bruyne this season
It is easy to see why Guardiola likes Gibbs-White as the Englishman would bring a physical presence to Man City’s midfield, while the 25-year-old is also versatile, as he can play in both the number ten and eight roles.
The Nottingham Forest star does lack the technical ability De Bruyne has and will never recreate the numbers the Belgian did in his prime; however, this season, Gibbs-White has impressed.
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| Morgan Gibbs-White | 38 | 7 | 10 | 3142 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | 40 | 6 | 8 | 2391 |
Many Man City fans were impressed with Gibbs-White when the Manchester club faced Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-final last month, as the 25-year-old showed them what he can do.
The signing of the Englishman would be a good one for City, although £100m is certainly too much for the player, but that is a fee Hugo Viana will be trying to get lowered over the coming weeks.
