Man City takes first steps to catch Liverpool as Kevin De Bruyne transfer replacements lined up

Manchester City may have next season as the search for Kevin De Bruyne’s replacement begins.

It has been a season to forget for side, who have drastically fallen away after dominating the for the past decade. With seven games left, City are on course to miss out on football next season, even if finishing fifth proves to be enough for a place at Europe’s top table.

They currently sit sixth and a point behind Newcastle, with the Magpies also holding a game in hand. What’s more, City already know .

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De Bruyne has already announced he will be departing at the end of the season, bringing an end to his 10-year association with City, during which time he has . Guardiola therefore has a big gap to fill in his squad.

According to though, City already have two names in mind as possible replacements. Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz are said to be among the options being considered, with internal solutions also set to be explored.

Both players have , and City may well be able to make up some ground on the Reds should they land either before side has the chance.

City is currently 21 points behind Liverpool, meaning Guardiola will have a big job on his hands to get his side back into contention for the title next season. There is also the matter of the charges hanging over the club for alleged financial breaches, .

It’s claimed that City doesn’t intend to prioritize transfer targets until new director of football Hugo Viana starts his role properly, with the former Sporting CP official currently working alongside Txiki Begiristain before the latter’s departure in the summer.

Gibbs-White has enjoyed a fine season as Nottingham Forest has emerged as a surprise contender for Champions League qualification, with his five goals and nine assists seeing him being linked with a move away from the City Ground.

Wirtz, meanwhile, is one of the most highly-coveted players in Europe right now, having played a huge role in Leverkusen winning an unbeaten domestic double last season. He’s said to be valued at around $164 million, which could prove to be too expensive for Liverpool and might see him draw closer to the likes of City and Real Madrid.

Liverpool.com says: It will be fascinating to see where Wirtz ends up, considering it seems likely he will be on the move soon. He's a player we would love to see at Anfield, although that price is likely to rule him out of a move this summer considering Liverpool has other areas to sort out. It would be a bitter blow if he ends up at City.