A great turnaround! Guardiola confirms: Manchester City's "team soul" stays, while Manchester United offers a semi-regular player for £10 million.

Recently, De Bruyne has been linked with Saudi Pro League giants Al-Ittihad, with British newspaper The Mirror reporting that personal terms have been agreed. However, a twist emerged as Guardiola confirmed in a recent press conference: "No, Kevin will not leave."

This brief statement reassured all Manchester City fans. De Bruyne's importance is no less than Rodri's; the latter is the "tactical pivot," while De Bruyne is the source of attacking creativity. Over nine years with the Blues, he has played 382 matches, scoring 102 goals and providing 170 assists. His seasonal average assists hover around 20, unmatched across Europe's top five leagues. In the current Manchester City squad, no one understands Haaland better than De Bruyne.

Previously, De Bruyne mentioned the possibility of leaving in an interview, as it could bring earnings unmatched in the past 15 years. This indicates that at this age, he indeed considers "retiring after achieving glory," shifting from competitive to financial aspects. However, Guardiola is very cautious about this topic, knowing De Bruyne's significance. Although this day will eventually come, it is not yet the time.

If De Bruyne leaves, Manchester City will certainly face the issue of finding a successor. The transfer window has been open for over a month, yet we haven't heard related rumors, suggesting two points: first, Guardiola is confident in persuading De Bruyne to stay; second, Guardiola's ideal successor will not join this summer.

De Bruyne's contract expires next year, at which point he will leave as a free agent, likely heading to Saudi Arabia. Then, Al-Ittihad would not need to pay a transfer fee, as according to journalist Ben Jacobs, Manchester City values him at £100 million. Thus, if De Bruyne transfers freely, he could also receive a substantial signing bonus.

But the second point draws more attention: who is Guardiola's ideal "De Bruyne successor"? It could very likely be German super midfield talent Florian Wirtz. Previously, Manchester City has been linked multiple times with Wirtz, but the player decided to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for another season, meaning a departure next summer is highly probable. Among the new generation of midfielders capable of succeeding De Bruyne in today's football world, Wirtz undoubtedly ranks at the top. Last season, in 49 appearances with 39 starts, he scored 18 goals and provided 19 assists—such stats are equally explosive and familiar. Indeed, De Bruyne also delivered double-digit figures during his time at Wolfsburg.

Wirtz's current market value is as high as €130 million, and the transfer fee would likely be similar. Manchester City has shown restraint this summer, currently spending only £25 million to sign Savinho, with the major move possibly next summer. Then, securing Wirtz would allow De Bruyne to depart peacefully, ensuring a smooth transition of the midfield core.

City rivals Manchester United, besides continuously making gains in recruitment, are also intensifying efforts in selling players. According to German Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, Manchester United is seriously considering replacing Wan-Bissaka with Noussair Mazraoui, hence they have lowered their asking price for the latter to £10 million.

Wan-Bissaka joined Manchester United for €55 million back then, now priced at £10 million (approximately €11.87 million), which is essentially a clearance sale. Wan-Bissaka's defensive ability is strong, but his attacking output doesn't meet Ten Hag's requirements, positioning him as a semi-regular at Manchester United. Additionally, his contract expires next year, with no renewal news, making a summer departure certain. If priced at £10 million, Wan-Bissaka could easily find a new club. For Premier League mid-to-lower-tier teams employing defensive counter-attacks, Wan-Bissaka would be quite attractive.

Mazraoui was linked with Manchester United when he wanted to leave Ajax previously, but ultimately chose Bayern Munich. Manchester United is considering reshuffling the right-back position this summer, and as a former player under Ten Hag, Mazraoui entering the shortlist is unsurprising. Mazraoui is a semi-regular at Bayern, with Bayern valuing him at €25 million. Currently, West Ham is negotiating with Bayern; if Manchester United intervenes, their chances of hijacking the deal are significant. If Manchester United signs Mazraoui, "The Hammers" would then turn to Wan-Bissaka—we shall wait and see.