Don Balon has claimed that Real Madrid are ready to spend big in the summer if they fail to retain their Champions League trophy this season. Club president Florentino Perez is reportedly lining up a £177 million bid for Manchester City ace Kevin De Bruyne.
For Manchester City, 114 goals in just 43 games averages at 2.65 per game. These already impressive stats become even more unusual when you consider the context in which they have been achieved. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team has displayed tremendous form since the start of the season and are seemingly looking like the best side not just in England but in Europe at the moment. Pep’s team has already won against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool in the league and beaten the Serie A leaders Napoli twice in the Champions League.
Having spent a fortune in the transfer market, Pep finally has a squad of players he likes and is delivering on his promise of providing relentless, attacking football at the Etihad this season. A quick look through the City squad will pop up the names of players like Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva, David Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and many more. With a manager like Guardiola at the helm of such a talented side, it is not surprising to see City play the way they are.
They have been in flawless form this season, dispatching opponents with absurd ease and with their confidence and team chemistry getting stronger and stronger after each game, the future proposition for City’s opponents look scary. One such player who has been at the centre of attention for City’s attacking exploits is Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian came to Chelsea as a youngster but the Blues deemed him not got enough to play for Chelsea. He was sold to German club Wolfsburg where he set up a record number of assists in two years. It earned him an expensive ticket back to England to Manchester City and since his arrival, he has justified his worth. He has been the best player in England by far this season and hence it is no surprise why Madrid could come calling for him next season.
However, Madrid already have a host of midfield talent in their squad in the form of Marco Asensio, Isco, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Mateo Kovacic who can all play through the centre. So it will be interesting to see where exactly they fit in the star player from City as De Bruyne will no doubt be a first team player and not someone to warm the bench. Moreover, De Bruyne is a star in Guardiola’s current project and could be vital to the Etihad outfit that can win it all in the next few years.
With Perez having a history of luring top players in, it will be interesting to see how much De Bruyne can resist if the Real president does come calling with the Galactico card up his sleeve.
