It has been a difficult season for Manchester City having been knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in the play-off round and falling away from the Premier League leaders Liverpool rather meekly.
Yet, there have been flashes of brilliance from new signing Omar Marmoush and the return of the talismanic Rodri lends hope to the belief that success will return to the Etihad next season.
With the news that legendary midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will be leaving this summer, and the poor form of Phil Foden, attention will undoubtedly turn to who Manchester City look to for their latest dose of creativity.
Manchester City eye Phil Foden successor in the centre of midfield
Foden has long been touted as the player who can replace De Bruyne, with Sky Sports pundit and City legend Micah Richards claiming on Super Sunday last weekend that, “When De Bruyne leaves, you'll see a better Phil Foden”.
With just seven league goals this year, the 24-year-old has failed to lift City out of their subpar form – and the arrival of a new playmaker would likely see Foden stay out wide, a position he has frequented the most this season.
The Athletic journalist and renowned transfer expert David Ornstein has revealed that Manchester City are targeting Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White as the long-term no.10 in City's midfield.
Gibbs-White has been a vital cog in Nottingham Forest’s top-four chasing machine this year, providing 14 goal contributions in the league, and earning an England debut in September of last year.
It is a move that could also suggest PFA Players' Player of the Year winner Foden is not trusted to take the mantle from De Bruyne – who is ranked at No.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best Premier League midfielders of all time – and with rumours of interest in Florian Wirtz, ranked at no.3 in FourFourTwo's list of the best attacking midfielders in the world right now, Foden may find game-time even harder to come by.
In FourFourTwo's view, however, this could be a difficult move to pull off.
Should Nottingham Forest secure Champions League football their revenue will increase significantly, reducing the need to sell key players, meaning Gibbs-White would likely fetch a fee significantly higher than his market value of £43 million.
Wirtz, meanwhile, would be more expensive than Gibbs-White, with the 21-year-old’s market value standing at a staggering £120 million.
His contract with Leverkusen lasts until 2027, meaning City would have to smash their transfer record, of £100 million, to secure the talented midfielder.
