The Belgian midfielder was substituted early in last week’s victory over Burnley and looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The Blues have already welcomed Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol since the end of our Treble winning campaign last term, but De Bruyne‘s injury leaves Guardiola with one fewer option in midfield.
Everything you need to know about City v Newcastle
With that in mind, the boss suggested City may yet re-enter the market before the end of the window on 1 September.
“We are talking a lot with Txiki [Begiristain] about what to do. Maybe yeah we need to add someone else,” he said in his pre-match press conference before Saturday’s game with Newcastle United.
“The blow from Kevin change a little bit the perspective. Kevin is a really really important player and we’ve not lost him a week or two weeks, it’s four months.
“He needs to be physical, it’s not like actions like Bernardo, he needs space. So we have to reflect.
“We are thinking about what we have to do but at the same time the market is the market and you have to control everything.”
Since arriving in 2015, De Bruyne has established himself as one of the best players in the world.
Last season, our No.17 became the quickest man to 100 assists in the Premier League era - he required just 237 games to hit the landmark, 56 better than previous record holder Cesc Fabregas.
He is also the only player to have won the Premier League Playmaker award on more than one occasion since its introduction in 2018, claiming three of the six editions.
For those reasons, Guardiola insists that any potential new addition will not be a direct replacement for De Bruyne.
“There are players that are not replaceable,” he said.
“When we go to the market, it’s not to replace Kevin.
“Kevin will come back in January, February and next season will be with us and next season will be with us until the end of his contract or we will extend.
“It’s not copy paste. But maybe we will need, maybe not. We will see. We are talking and we will see what happens.”
City v Newcastle app coverage
Our official app allows you to follow all of the action from one place.
Minute-by-minute text updates will begin in our Matchday Centre two hours before kick-off, while our Matchday Live show will begin at 18:50 (UK).
We have special guests Steve Howey, Shola Ameobi and Steph Houghton on the latest Matchday Live show, offering their expert insight before, during and after the action.
They will also answer viewer questions throughout the broadcast, with audience participation actively encouraged on Matchday Live. To get in touch, send a WhatsApp to: +447537186538.
During the game you can also listen to live audio commentary from Alistair Mann and Andy Morrison while our text commentary continues.
Make sure to have push notifications turned on as well, so you can be alerted to key moments in the action, including goals, red cards and the team news.
Short highlights, extended highlights, as well as a full-match replay, available on CITY+ and Recast, can be accessed from midnight.
