Man City ‘offer’ £55m to Tottenham for ‘ideal option’ to replace De Bruyne in ‘clear message’

Man City have made an offer to Tottenham for attacking midfielder James Maddison ahead of the summer transfer window, according to reports.

The Citizens have had a poor season by their standards with Pep Guardiola’s side failing to compete for the Premier League title.

Liverpool were crowned champions last weekend and are currently 18 points ahead of Man City with the Reds playing their game in hand against Chelsea on Sunday.

Man City finished nine points ahead of Liverpool last term as Guardiola’s men won their fourth consecutive Premier League title.

Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Juma Bah all signed in the January transfer window as Man City looked address a number of issues in their squad.

Kevin de Bruyne, who scored the only goal of the game as Man City beat Wolves on Friday, is one player who will be departing in the summer transfer window with the Belgium international set to leave a huge hole when he’s gone.

At the beginning of April, De Bruyne penned an emotional letter to Man City fans to announce his departure, he wrote: ‘Dear Manchester, Seeing this you probably realise where this is heading. So I’ll get straight to it and let you all know that these will be my final months as a Manchester City player.

‘Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here, and you deserve to hear it from me first.

‘Football led me to all of you – and to this city. Chasing this dream, not knowing this period would change my life. This city. This club. These people… gave me EVERYTHING. I had no choice but to give EVERYTHING back! And guess what – we won EVERYTHING.

MORE ON MAN CITY FROM F365:
👉 Man City FFP: Guardiola’s 28-man squad ranked on post-relegation exit likelihood with verdict looming
👉 Man City top scorers against the Big Six: Erling Haaland clear of Sterling with only two players ahead
👉 Richards tells Man City that De Bruyne is ‘still good enough’ as decision on ‘maverick’ questioned

‘Whether we like it or not, it’s time to say goodbye. Suri, Rome, Mason, Michele, and I are all grateful for what this place has meant to our family. “Manchester” will forever be on our kids’ passports – and more importantly, in each of our hearts.

‘This will always be our HOME. We cannot thank the city, club, staff, teammates, friends, and family enough for this 10-year ride.

‘Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter. Let’s enjoy these last moments together! Much love, KDB.’

And now Man City seem to have identified his replacement with a report on Spanish website Fichajes insisting that the Citizens have ‘submitted a €65m (£55m) offer’ for Tottenham playmaker Maddison.

Man City want Maddison to become ‘De Bruyne’s successor in midfield’ and they ‘have decided to act’ with Maddison’s name ‘on the radar of several clubs’ ahead of the summer.

The report adds: ‘With De Bruyne entering the final stretch of his career, City consider Maddison the ideal option to maintain the level of quality in midfield.’

Their £55m offer has sent a ‘clear message’ over their ambitions for next season and Man City ‘knows that the post-De Bruyne transition will be crucial, and to achieve this, they need a player who can offer the touch of creativity and vision that has been the essence of the Sky Blues’ football in recent years’.