The transfer window has only just officially opened and free spending Manchester City have wasted no time in closing in on their first big money signing.
The Telegraph are reporting that City are ready to bid £50m for Wolfsburg’s attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. £50m for De Bruyne?! Have they lost the plot?
This news comes just days after the FFP restrictions troubling the club were lifted now that City have met all the financial targets set by UEFA.
The Belgium international impressed for Wolfsburg last season – scoring 10 goals and providing twenty assists in the Bundesliga – and has become a vital part of the side at the Volkswagen Arena since his Chelsea exit in 2014.
Any move for the player would raise a number of questions, however, and there are several important issues City need to take into account before lodging any kind of bid for the player.
Here are FOUR reasons this is a move to avoid, especially with Raheem Sterling also a £50m target.
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Premier League Failure
De Bruyne has already experienced life in the Premier League in a short lived spell at champions Chelsea. He signed for the club in for £6.8m back in 2012 from Belgian side Genk with a reputation as a top talent.
Life in English football didn’t work out all for the player, though, with the midfielder featuring only a handful of times after failing to make any kind of impact under manager Jose Mourinho.
Jose cut his losses and sold the player to Wolfsburg for £20m in 2014, hinting that he may not be suited to the English game.
Homegrown Nightmare
City are already facing a major problem this summer, and that should be the focus of attention instead of signing De Bruyne.
The club are severely lacking homegrown talent for their first-team squad next season, with just Joe Hart and defender Gael Clichy meeting the specification.
The Citizens have been heavily linked with a number of English players including Raheem Sterling, Jack Wilshere and Fabian Delph and should be concentrating their efforts on bringing in talented Englishmen to avoid any more potential penalties for rule breaching.
Silva A Cut Above
Should the player complete a move to the Etihad Stadium, he is likely to try to command a central attacking midfielder role. This is not an easy task for anyone.
David Silva has well and truly made the position his own, consistently producing incredible performances in a City shirt.
Silva is the key man at the club and the player is involved in every attack, weighing in with plenty of goals and assists, and has developed a wonderful relationship with Sergio Aguero.
It is certain that De Bruyne would have to adapt his game to fit around the Spaniard, If he wanted to make any kind of impact at the club.
Held To Ransom
City would be crazy to pay £50m for the 24 year old Belgian. When you compare the deal to that of other players in his position you can see just how ridiculous the price is.
Eden Hazard moved to Stamford Bridge for £32m, and he is arguably the best player in the Premier League at this moment in time. There are plenty more examples all over the division, too – Juan Mata joined Manchester United for £37m and Alexis Sanchez joined Arsenal for £35m.
There is little doubt those players are all better than De Bruyne and prove it makes little sense for City to invest so much in a player that is nowhere near the highest standard.
