Pep Guardiola could end four-year pursuit of player he tipped for the top to solve Kevin De Bruyne problem

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola could sign a player he tipped for stardom four years ago as a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne limped off during the first half of City's opening Premier League game of the season, a 3-0 win over Burnley, on Friday evening.

The initial concerns were that the Belgian midfielder had aggravated the hamstring injury he sustained during the Champions League final against Inter Milan in May.

Those fears were confirmed by Guardiola in a press conference prior to Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup clash against Sevilla, in which he described De Bruyne's injury as 'serious'.

You can watch his full explanation below.

The 32-year-old is now expected to be out of action for the remainder of the year - leaving City potentially needing to find a replacement.

And they may already have knowledge of the perfect player.

Man City could seal perfect De Bruyne replacement after Guardiola praise

According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, City have 'concrete' interest in signing RB Leipzig midfielder Dani Olmo this summer.

Olmo, who is a Spain international, is said to be a 'dream' signing for Guardiola - although it may be difficult to sign him.

The report claims, in a similar scenario to that of Liverpool's pursuit of Dominik Szoboszlai from the same club, Leipzig will demand a fee of around €80-€100 million to sell the 25-year-old. However, there is a clause in his contract that will allow him to leave for €55 million, which becomes active from next season.

Stop that Dani Olmo. pic.twitter.com/tIJuWPrnQU

— Stop That Football (@stopthatfooty) August 13, 2023

Guardiola publicly showed his admiration for the player in a 2019 interview, after Olmo scored for Dinamo Zagreb in a 4-1 defeat to City in a Champions League tie.

He said (quotes via Daily Mirror): "He's a top player. He has a bright future, of course. His performance today shows it.

"About the transfer and the money he deserves - that is not the point. The point is, he is an incredible player and I am pretty sure he is able to play in the strong leagues in Europe."