Manchester City remain on hot pursuit of their main transfer target Kevin De Bruyne, despite Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg insisting the player is not for sale.
The Belgian international has been heavily linked with a return to the Barclays Premier League this summer following an excellent season with the German side last year and the Etihad Stadium appears to be the most likely destination for the 23-year-old should City find an agreement with Die Wolfe.
Reports in Germany [via Mirror Online] emerged on Tuesday afternoon that Wolfsburg were reluctant to cash in on their prized asset but the club’s chief of the supervisory board Francisco Garcia hinted they could be tempted into selling the player should he wish to leave this summer.
That has given City a huge boost in their bid to land De Bruyne and, according to Manchester Evening News the club’s football director Txiki Begiristain, is yet to join up with the squad on their pre-season tour in Melbourne and is reportedly pressing ahead with plans to bring in a fourth major summer addition, following the arrivals of Raheem Sterling, Fabian Delph and Patrick Roberts.
One stumbling block could be over the fee as last season Bundesliga runners-up are understood to want at least £60 million for the playmaker, but that is £20 million short of what City are prepared to pay [MEN].
It remains to be seen whether the two clubs can reach an agreement over the former Chelsea player, who has enjoyed a new lease of life since Jose Mourinho shipped him out to Germany during the 2014 January transfer window.
De Bruyne shone last season, as he scored 10 goals and registered 20 assists in the league and was also on target for Wolfsburg in their 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final.
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