It is not uncommon to witness one door close as another opens in football. This is particularly common among elderly players. A younger player or a replacement enters the room just as an experienced player leaves to pursue fresh opportunities.

According to two recent stories, Manchester City may soon have to deal with this very situation. First, according to James Holland’s article for TeamTalk, Kevin De Bruyne has had discussions with San Diego FC, an MLS team.

Holland adds that the new Major League Soccer team is eager to sign De Bruyne as a high-profile player. Holland further states that Kevin De Bruyne is now considering his alternatives in the event that Manchester City does not extend an offer to him. De Bruyne’s present

Next up Spanish publication Fichajes reports that Manchester City are eyeing a move for Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz. Furthermore, Fichajes reports that the world champions are currently ‘formulating an offer’ for Wirtz.

Fichajes further reports that City have been in touch with the representatives of Florian Wirtz to assess the viability of signing the German international. Lastly, Fichajes reports that a transfer fee in excess of £90 million will be demanded by Bayer Leverkusen to sell their prized asset.

If the door does close on Kevin De Bruyne’s time with Manchester City then Florian Wirtz may be the ideal player to replace the club legend.

It is no secret that Kevin De Bruyne is closer to the end of his time with Manchester City than the beginning. That is the reality of the situation surrounding De Bruyne’s career. He has been one of City’s greatest-ever players during his time at the club. But the time is near when the door will close on De Bruyne’s time at the club. But finding a player to replace what De Bruyne has brought to Manchester City will be no easy task. It won’t be an easy task for any player to fill the void left by De Bruyne when he departs the club either. But if there is a player who could step into De Bruyne’s shoes it’s Florian Wirtz.

Wirtz has shown during his time with Bayern Leverkusen that he is one of the young stars of the game. He was an integral part of Bayer Leverkusen’s history-making 23/24 campaign. Wirtz was named the Bundesliga player of the season as his performances helped Leverkusen lift the Bundesliga for the first time in the club’s history. He was also integral to their DFB Pokal success. Wirtz has also become one of Germany’s key players at international level. He plays in a similar style to De Bruyne although Wirtz plays in a slightly different way to Kevin De Bruyne. If you were going to pick one player to replace De Bruyne at Manchester City, then Florian Wirtz would be at the top of the list.

The door does appear set to close on Kevin De Bruyne’s time at Manchester City in the near future. Whether that is at the end of his season or further down the track remains to be seen. But if it does close then Florian Wirtz maybe the ideal player to walk through the door to replace the Manchester City legend. The two new reports suggest that this possibility is in play. What happens with De Bruyne’s future and how Manchester City navigate that scenario is a story to watch for over the coming months.