Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes believes Manchester City would be weakening their squad if they sign Morgan Gibbs-White as a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne.

The Cityzens are believed to be interested in recruiting the England international but, when asked for his thoughts on Gibbs-White making the switch to the Etihad this summer, Scholes replied:

“He’s not the same. Gibbs-White isn’t the same. When it first got mentioned that he [De Bruyne] was going to be released, I felt it was probably the right time, and then I’d say the last couple of weeks he started to look all right again, hadn’t he?”

Forest are said to be demanding between £70m and £100m for Gibbs-White, depending on the report you read. Respected journalist David Ornstein (among others) confirmed City’s interest in the player last month.

City could pursue a cheaper alternative

While Gibbs-White is still believed to be on the Manchester club’s radar, it appears Director of Football Hugo Viana and the recruitment department have decided to explore a deal for Lyon’s Rayan Cherki instead.

There is some debate about the existence of a release clause, which is said to be worth just €25m (£21m), but the Frenchman is still expected to cost a lot less than Gibbs-White.

Where is De Bruyne going?

It appears as if the City legend will be heading to Italy. Serie A champions Napoli have reportedly persuaded the Belgian international into staying in Europe.

De Bruyne was originally expected to move across the pond with Chicago Fire having offered the midfielder a lucrative contract but all the signs now point towards him making the switch to Naples at the beginning of July.

In addition to Cherki, the club are expected to recruit another midfielder, with Tijjani Reijnders likely to join from AC Milan. Read more as Ruud Gullit talks about the Dutchman here.