Is Kevin De Bruyne really worth £54 million as he closes in on Manchester City move?

OK, it’s a lot of money. Yet Wolfsburg, who are owned by Volkswagen, are not in need of instant cash. They also want to challenge for the Bundesliga title and Champions League in the coming years. Which begs the question: why sell your star man?

[ANALYSIS: Where would De Bruyne fit in at Manchester City?]

On the surface, it seems like they have been made an offer they couldn’t refuse and might think they can bolster their squad in other areas, as well as replacing the Belgian playmaker.

But sometimes, it is not that easy. There are plenty of cautionary tales – just look at what happened to Liverpool when they sold Luis Suarez to Barcelona. After raking in £75 million for the Uruguayan, Brendan Rodgers reinvested all of the money, and more, in flops like Rickie Lambert and Lazar Markovic, but fell out of the Champions League places last season.

And let’s not start talking about how Tottenham spent the £80m they received from Real Madrid for Gareth Bale. Put simply, selling your best player for a mountain of cash doesn’t always work.

Often it’s the way they bring the best out of other players and make a team tick that is so valuable and De Bruyne has been consistently outstanding in this regard for Wolfsburg. He had 20 assists in the Bundesliga last season – and 15 goals and 25 assists overall in the 18 months he has been at the Volkswagen Arena.

So replacing the beating heart of a team is not simple, no matter how much surgery you can afford.

Moreover, the best forwards are an extremely valuable commodity at the moment as Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger knows only too well after recently lamenting that there is “huge shortage in the world”. So, when they become available, teams have no choice but to pay a premium.

Some will still say that City do not need De Bruyne, that it’s a risk. Yet, money is no object for them and what harm can it do?

Captain Vincent Kompany claims his side has been revitalised this season after their investment in the likes of Fabian Delph, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Otamendi over the summer. Competition is never a bad thing - not to mention adding depth to an already outstanding squad and stockpiling some of Europe’s best players and removing their threat from rivals.

Manuel Pellegrini needed this after his squad had gone a bit stale over the previous season. And if De Bruyne can contribute in any way to a Premier League title, or even a Champions League success – a crucial goal, or a vital assist – City fans will say it is (a lot) of money well spent.

De Bruyne was deemed not good enough by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. Doesn’t put in enough effort in training, claimed the Portuguese. The Belgian was given a fair go by Chelsea as well. He started in the first game of the 2013-14 season against Hull, and then at Manchester United a week later. He also came on as a substitute against Fulham.

Three appearances in the Capital One Cup matches followed, and he was also substitute in three Champions League ties.

That’s enough of a chance to convince you would say, especially when Mourinho has shown how reluctant he is to change what he deems to be his best XI since his second coming in English football – just ask Juan Cuadrado, who has just jetted into Juventus.

It’s not as though De Bruyne hasn’t been given a chance to shine elsewhere, either. He was loaned back to Genk after being bought from the Belgian club in 2011/12. He then was farmed out to Werden Bremen for the entire 2012/13 campaign. If he was that good, he would have been shining at one of the top clubs in Europe by now. Look at Sterling’s relatively linear progression up the Premier League pyramid - and he is still only 20.

If you are good enough, you are old enough goes the cliché. But De Bruyne is 24, so even age is not a factor any more.

Finally, De Bruyne may struggle to even get a start at City. David Silva is in imperious form in the No 10 role - which is presumably, where the Belgian would like to play.

So what does Pellegrini do? Upset the dynamic in his team after a superb start to the season by dropping the Spaniard or playing him out of position? Or show off his club’s vast wealth with a £54m Belgian benchwarmer ?

Perhaps De Bruyne will play out wide, replacing Jesus Navas, as Sterling surely can’t be dropped either. But that also seems like a waste and would prevent City stretching teams like they have so far with extremely pacey wingers hugging the touchline and creating space for Silva, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero.

There doesn’t seem to be an easy solution for Pellegrini. But, surely, there must be a least a little method behind the madness. One thing is for sure, if the move is completed in the coming days, it will be fascinating to find out.