Manchester City are interested in signing Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White, according to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein.

The trusted journalist says Pep Guardiola’s side are looking to replace Kevin De Bruyne, who has announced that he will leave the Etihad at the end of the season, and Gibb-White is being considered as a possible successor:

“Manchester City are embarking on a huge rebuild now and it will be without their talismanic player and that’s why the focus of their recruitment will probably center on that position, the number 10.”

“The likes of Morgan Gibbs-White in the Premier League will be among the names on their radar. So too Florian Wirtz if you look across the continent and Bayer Leverkusen.”

City will be competing with other Premier League teams

It was reported last month that Gibbs-White is attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool after impressing for Forest this campaign.

The Gunners, in particular, have a longstanding interest in the 25-year-old, whose asking price is said to be in excess of £50m.

How does Gibbs-White compare to De Bruyne?

If we look at their statistics this season, there isn’t much between them, with the Nottingham Forest captain having scored 5 goals and provided 9 assists in 30 appearances. De Bruyne, meanwhile, has managed 4 goals and 7 assists in 32 games.

Of course, it must be pointed out that the City playmaker has recorded vastly superior numbers in previous campaigns for the Cityzens. With that being the case, you would have to question whether Gibbs-White possesses the ability to take up the mantle.

As Ornstein mentions, Florian Wirtz is also among the club’s list of targets. The German international is clearly superior to Gibbs-White in terms of goal contributions, having scored 15 times and contributed 13 assists this season alone.

If you would like to read more stories like this, visit our Man City transfer news page