Florian Wirtz, Eberechi Eze and the six playmakers Man City should target to replace Kevin De Bruyne this summer as Pep Guardiola faces defining transfer decision

It has been an emotional few days for Manchester City fans after coming to the realisation that Kevin De Bruyne is leaving the club after 10 glorious years. There had been an air of inevitability about the announcement after injuries caught up with the Belgian in the last 18 months, limiting him to only 13 Premier League starts this season and just two goals, but that has not made it any easier to accept his departure.

De Bruyne will leave as City's best player ever, the main driving force of the club's relentless success under Pep Guardiola, who declared: "To say bye to these type of players is so difficult. There are players who are unique, who represent what the club wants to be. And Kevin is one of them. Now it’s a shock but people will remember how blessed and happy they were to see these type of player who gave us absolutely everything. You can only be grateful. The club gave everything to him and he gave everything to us. My period here will always have Kevin there in my memories. He cannot be forgotten."

But just as he was showering praise on De Bruyne, who has scored 106 goals and provided 176 assists for City while helping them to win 18 trophies, Guardiola made it clear that he had decided that the player's time at the club had come to an end. The coach, somewhat ruthlessly, declared: "The club has to move forward. Move on. To replicate these numbers, and his kind of things, is so difficult. But we have to find other qualities."

And now comes the hard part: picking De Bruyne's successor. GOAL outlines the top candidates City will be looking at this summer as they make one of the most important transfer decisions of the Guardiola era, one that could even dictate how much longer the coach remains at the club.