Man City considering beating Arsenal to spectacular Real Madrid ...

Manchester City and Arsenal are two of three teams weighing up a move for Real Madrid playmaker, Arda Guler, with City’s attempts directly linked to growing speculation Kevin De Bruyne is leaving.

De Bruyne, 33, is in the final year of his contract with Man City. According to Sky Sports Switzerland reporter, Sacha Tavolieri, the club have already established ‘initial dialogue’ regarding a new deal with the creative genius. But of more pressing concern for City is Tavolieri’s subsequent claim De Bruyne is ‘unlikely to renew his contract.’

The report added that rather than secure a late-career payday in Saudi Arabia, De Bruyne and his family would much prefer a stint in the USA in Major League Soccer.

The most ‘concrete’ project open to De Bruyne at the moment is Californian side San Diego FC – an expansion side who’ll compete in their first MLS season in 2025. The signing of De Bruyne is exactly the type of marquee arrival that would help put the club on the map.

With De Bruyne’s future at Man City beyond the current campaign far from certain, the club must begin to explore the market for a worthy successor.

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, City are one of three teams eyeing up Real Madrid and Turkey star, Arda Guler. The others are Arsenal and Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen who view Guler as a suitable replacement if Florian Wirtz is poached next year.

The report stressed a Man City move for Guler would be linked to De Bruyne’s situation. If the Belgian maestro stays, an approach isn’t expected.

But if he leaves as Tavolieri suggests he will, Real Madrid may soon face a struggle to retain a player who is extremely highly regarded, though cannot find a way into Carlo Ancelotti’s eleven.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Man City first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Guler operates primarily in advanced central areas – just like De Bruyne – though that is not a position currently featured at Real Madrid since Kylian Mbappe’s arrival.

Mbappe’s arrival has forced Ancelotti to adopt a 4-3-3 formation, with Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo flanking Mbappe at centre-forward when all three are fit.

That has resulted in Jude Bellingham dropping into a midfield three to play alongside two others out of Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde and Luka Modric.

With such elite competition for so few places, it’s easy to see why Guler has been afforded just 292 minutes of action this season.

Guler was recently in the headlines, though through no fault of his own. Indeed, Juventus’ English account on X was hacked, with an errant announcement over the apparent signing of Guler raising eyebrows across Europe.

“Welcome to Juventus, Arda Guler! The rising star of football is now part of the Juventus family,” the post read, featuring a picture of the 19-year-old Turkey international walking on a runway.

Juventus moved swiftly to shut down the rumours, clarifying that their account had instead been hacked.

“Our Juventus English account has been compromised,” Juve said. “Please ignore the false information being published on this account. We are working on the issue.”

GO DEEPER: Who is Arda Guler? The Real Madrid and Turkey sensation who lit up Euro 2024

In other news, Man City could surprisingly be beaten by Brighton to the £12.5m signing of Serbian midfielder, Andrija Maksimovic.

The 17-year-old sensation and his camp believe a more modest move would be the best next step for his career. Brighton have proven themselves an excellent club for rising starlets to develop and would likely be able to offer a faster route into the first-team.

Elsewhere, Liverpool and Man City are both weighing up moves for Brighton attacker, Facundo Buonanotte, who is currently thriving in a loan spell at Leicester City. Brighton reportedly value the 19-year-old Argentine at a minimum of €30m (£25m / $32.5m).

Finally, Football Insider state Man City have identified Tottenham’s Pedro Porro as a viable replacement for Kyle Walker.

That comes on the back of The Daily Star reporting Walker has been transfer-listed for £15m. A move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli has been touted.