European club ‘dreaming’ of audacious Manchester City midfielder double swoop ahead of formal approach | OneFootball

Galatasaray are dreaming of a sensational double swoop for Manchester City midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan this summer, as per a new report.

De Bruyne announced on his social media channels he will be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season, calling time on an incredible, trophy-laden decade with the four-in-a-row Premier League champions after joining from Wolfsburg for £55 million in 2015.

Ilkay Gundogan has a clause in his contract that will trigger a one-year extension if he plays what is believed to be a 45-50% part in Manchester City’s competitive games this season, as has widely been reported since Pep Guardiola hinted the German is close to extending his return to City into the 2025-26 campaign.

Manchester City’s midfield has struggled for legs and creativity for a large part of the campaign, having lost Ballon d’Or winner to an ACL injury in an emphatic 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in September.

Changes are coming aplenty in the summer as Hugo Viana proceeds to take over from current director of football Txiki Begiristain and launch a new era at the Etihad Stadium after what has been a disappointing yet eye-opening season for the 2023 treble winners.

Sixth-placed City are fighting to secure a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League with seven Premier League games left to play – starting with Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday – and could yet win the FA Cup to finish the campaign on a high.

A man-of-the-match second-half performance off the bench from academy graduate Nico O’Reilly helped Manchester City turn around a one-goal deficit and claim a crucial 2-1 win away at Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-final at the end of March.

According to the information of Fanatik, whose information has been relayed by Sport Witness, Galatasaray are hoping to bring De Bruyne and Gundogan to Turkey in the summer transfer window on the cheap.

Galatasaray president Dursun Özbek is understood to be relying on the ‘support of sponsors’ in his aim to land the Manchester City duo, with the Turkish champions expected to make ‘close contacts’ with agents in the ‘coming days’.

De Bruyne is believed to favour a move to the Major League Soccer at the end of the season owing to his preference of living in the United States over Saudi Arabia, as it remains to be seen what the season run-in holds for Gundogan – Guardiola’s first signing at Manchester City in 2016 – and how it could shape his future at the Etihad Stadium.