Man City have already lost perfect Kevin De Bruyne replacement after £42.5m transfer mistake

Manchester City's task of preparing for next season just got a lot tougher after the news that Kevin De Bruyne will leave the club in the summer.

Over the last 10 years, De Bruyne has showcased why he deserves to be in the conversation for one of the best midfielders ever to grace the Premier League.

Whether it be Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard or Paul Scholes, De Bruyne's record over the last decade sees the 33-year-old deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the greats of the game.

The problem City will have is what do they do about replacing him. De Bruyne has just four goals and seven assists to his name this season, and has started just 12 matches in the Premier League this season.

City always knew that the time would come when De Bruyne was no longer in their ranks, and that a plan for the future would need to be in place.

After Friday's announcement, that plan should come to fruition this summer at the latest, but have City already let the perfect replacement for De Bruyne walk out the door?

It was in the summer of 2023 that City let Cole Palmer leave the Etihad to complete a £42.5million move to Chelsea. The move saw Palmer's 15-year association with City come to an end, where he is now one of the star names at Stamford Bridge.

Since the move, Palmer has scored 39 goals and provided 23 assists in just 79 appearances for Chelsea. The 22-year-old also featured in the England squad last summer, where he scored what proved to be a consolation goal against Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

Palmer had featured 41 times for City before swapping Manchester for London two years ago. Had that decision not been made, City may already have their perfect replacement for De Bruyne on their books.

It's also worth mentioning that City did not include a buy-back clause in the deal that saw Palmer move to Chelsea.

As a result, if Pep Guardiola wants to be reunited with Palmer this summer, City would have to try and negotiate a price with Chelsea just as any other club would.

While few players will be able to directly replace the impact that De Bruyne has had at City over the last decade, City may have already had their player in their ranks until two years ago.

Unless a transfer target emerges for the summer, Guardiola will be hoping that the existing members of the squad will be able to fill the void left by a club legend from next season onwards.

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Manchester City wrapped up the 2023/24 season with a fourth successive Premier League title, but they missed out on another Treble with defeat in the FA Cup final and Champions League quarter-finals. It's now time for Pep Guardiola and co to turn their attention to the transfer window.

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