Kevin De Bruyne did speak with Liverpool before opting to join Napoli after his exit from Manchester City, with trusted Etihad reporter Sam Lee revealing all on the star’s decision.
De Bruyne found out in the final months of the 2024/25 campaign that Man City would not be extending his contract beyond June 30. City chiefs decided it was not worth the risk due to De Bruyne’s growing injury problems.
On April 4, the attacking midfielder confirmed he would be leaving the club following the expiry of his contract.
De Bruyne hoped to give City fans a parting gift by helping Pep Guardiola’s side win the FA Cup, but they were stunned at Wembley by Crystal Palace, who won 1-0 thanks to an Eberechi Eze strike.
De Bruyne has since joined Italian champions Napoli on a two-year contract, which includes the option for an extra 12 months.
Writing for The Athletic, Lee has explained how the Belgium superstar ended up in Naples and which other options he had on the table.
Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claimed on May 7 that Liverpool had incredibly sent De Bruyne an ‘offer’, only for other outlets to try and shut down this rumour.
According to Lee, De Bruyne did indeed have a ‘conversation’ with Liverpool officials about a controversial switch to Anfield.
De Bruyne has previously admitted to supporting Liverpool growing up, so joining the Reds would certainly have had an emotional connection. But the transfer would have tarnished his reputation among City supporters.
Ultimately, these talks never reached an advanced stage. Lee states that ‘there are conflicting accounts of who approached who’.
Liverpool were on the hunt for a new No 10 and had already identified Florian Wirtz as their key target, while also scheduling a meeting for Rayan Cherki.
In the end, Liverpool smashed their transfer record to sign Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, while Cherki ended up replacing De Bruyne at City.
De Bruyne and his family were settled in the north west and were initially hoping to stay in England, either through a contract extension at City or a transfer to another Premier League side.
But the 33-year-old soon started to evaluate interest from other leagues and clubs.
Napoli and Chicago Fire then emerged as the two sides pushing the hardest to snap him up. De Bruyne and his family like spending time in the US so a transfer to Chicago Fire appealed to all.
De Bruyne ‘spent around a month’ analysing proposals from Chicago Fire and Napoli before opting to choose the latter.
There are numerous reasons why he chose Napoli. Interestingly, one of them is that he is ‘motivated to prove City wrong for letting him go’.
De Bruyne feels he still has the ability and fitness to make a big impact at the top level and joining Napoli will give him the chance to continue playing in the Champions League.
Napoli boss Antonio Conte and fellow Belgium star Romelu Lukaku also played key roles in getting him to join the Serie A giants.
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Juventus, Galatasaray were among Kevin De Bruyne suitors
Fellow Italian club Juventus ‘made contact’ with De Bruyne and his camp, but the transfer never went any further as they were held back by financial constraints.
Galatasaray ‘registered their interest’, while a move to Saudi Arabia was never seriously considered.
Much was made of the Saudis’ ability to pay De Bruyne huge sums of money, plus his relationship with Saudi Pro League director Michael Emenalo – the man who originally signed him for Chelsea.
Clubs such as Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr looked at De Bruyne, though he was never keen on agreeing such a transfer. Stumbling blocks included De Bruyne’s desire to continue playing at a high level as well as consideration for his family, such as accommodation and the right education for his children.
Inter Miami, unlike other clubs such as Juve, Galatasaray and Al-Nassr, did discuss finances with De Bruyne.
They were willing to make him one of the best-paid players in MLS history to link him up with Argentine icon Lionel Messi.
However, the move never got off the ground as Miami had already used up all of their designated player slots.
There was brief hope De Bruyne could join if Sergio Busquets left to begin a coaching career back in Spain, but that ultimately did not happen.
De Bruyne ended up at Napoli instead and the transfer will likely have delighted Conte, who wants top-class reinforcements to help his side’s title defence in 2025-26.
De Bruyne will soon link up with other former Premier League stars in Naples such as Lukaku, Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour.
The six-time Premier League winner will be aiming to help Napoli win multiple big trophies to show City why their decision to let him go came too soon.
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