Manchester City are reportedly eyeing a move for Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers as a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne. As reported by TEAMtalk, the Cityzens want to sign their former youth graduate they let go in 2023.
Pep Guardiola has a big task to carry out this summer as he is set to lose his star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgium international is set to leave the Sky Blues at the end of his contract.
De Bruyne is regarded as one of the finest players of his generation and one of the best midfielders in the modern era. He has won 16 trophies with Manchester City since joining the Cityzens in 2015 from VfL Wolfsburg.
Over the years, De Bruyne has contributed with 106 goals and 174 assists in 413 games. Filling in his void would be a massive job and it has been claimed that Morgan Rogers has been identified as the potential replacement by Guardiola.
Rogers has improved by leaps and bounds since leaving Manchester City permanently in 2023 without even making a single appearance. He joined Middlesbrough for a reported £1 million and was snapped up by Aston Villa for reportedly £15 million just six months later.
The 22-year-old has been exceptional for Unai Emery’s side since his move to Villa Park. He has scored 16 goals and produced 12 assists in 60 games across competitions for the Villans so far.
Rogers recently signed a new deal at Villa Park, increasing his wages from £20,000 per week to a reported £75,000 per week. He is expected to cost a fortune and has also been linked with a move to Liverpool.
Pep Guardiola reacts to Kevin De Bruyne’s decision to leave Manchester City
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola opened up following Kevin De Bruyne’s decision to leave the Etihad at the end of the season. The 33-year-old has announced that he will leave the Cityzens at the end of the season on a free transfer.
Pep Guardiola insisted it would be a sad day for the club when the iconic midfielder leaves. Guardiola said, as quoted by GOAL:
“A sad day. A happy day for the pleasure personally that I will leave with him. He gives all of us humility and his influence in our success over the last decade – that would have been impossible to imagine without him.”
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager added:
“A sad day because one of us is leaving. When Vincent left, or Sergio left, or David Silva left, these players with their contribution. It’s a sad day. But we still have 10 games and hopefully 11 that we can enjoy with our fans. He will get, I’m sure, the love.”
Guardiola also claimed that De Bruyne should soon have his statue outside Etihad. He said:
“Listen, I don’t know, but I would bet a lot of money that it is going to happen, that’s for sure.”
De Bruyne will go down in Manchester City’s history books as one of the greatest players ever. He has made 413 appearances for the Cityzens since his reported £55 million move from Wolfsburg in 2015, scoring 106 goals and providing 174 assists.
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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer
