Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne
Man City icon Kevin De Bruyne, who spent a decade making Premier League defences look a step too slow, is still being talked about as a January signing for Everton and David Moyes.
How Everton’s links to Kevin De Bruyne started
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Everton had just watched Thierno Barry turn the Coventry game on its head when a rather different name started doing the rounds on Merseyside.
De Bruyne left Man City for Napoli on a free in June 2025 after winning six league titles in England, and the story of Everton's interest surfaced on Monday when Calciomercato.it reported that Everton had sounded out the Belgian’s representatives to see whether he might fancy a return to England.
MondoNapoli followed on Wednesday with its own report that Moyes wanted more invention in midfield and that Everton were weighing up a 'dream' move for the 35-year-old.
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|Kevin De Bruyne’s all-time Man City record|
|Competition|Appearances|Starts|Goals|Assists|
|---|
|Premier League|285|244|72|118|
|Champions League, including qualifying|73|66|16|26|
|FA Cup|34|25|10|18|
|League Cup|26|20|10|7|
|Community Shield|4|2|0|1|
|Total|422|357|108|170|
Fraser Fletcher struck a cooler note for TEAMtalk on Thursday, saying any contact was exploratory and a January deal looked unlikely.
Everton beat Newcastle in the cup and the league before coming from behind against Coventry, and they’ve reached the international break level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea.
Get January right and Moyes could have a team that stays in that conversation.
Napoli set terms for January transfer to Everton
Napoli's Kevin De Bruyne scores their first goal from the penalty spot
Napoli's Kevin De Bruyne scores their first goal from the penalty spot
Sport Witness, citing Corriere del Mezzogiorno, reports that Napoli would only consider letting De Bruyne go in January if he made clear he wanted out.
If his next club offers him lower wages, Napoli are said to be unwilling to cover the difference with a payoff, and they could also ask for a transfer fee to part with him halfway through the season.
De Bruyne’s deal runs until next summer and Napoli have the option of another year, so they can afford to wait.
Massimiliano Allegri has used him in all 11 Serie A games and played him for every minute of Napoli’s four Champions League matches this season.
The midfielder has four goals and two assists across those competitions.
Everton also have PSV Eindhoven to think about, with the Eindhovens Dagblad reporting talks between PSV and De Bruyne’s camp, and playing just across the border would give him the chance to live in Belgium again.
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne celebrates after the match
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne celebrates after the match
Asked about the Dutch interest after scoring in Belgium’s win over Türkiye on Thursday, De Bruyne said he was happy with how he was playing and would see what came of it.
De Bruyne could make Barry even more dangerous
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Barry’s equaliser against Coventry came from a Vitalii Mykolenko cross, the sort of ball De Bruyne can whip in from deeper on the opposite flank.
He can also slip Barry through the middle when a centre-back steps out to close him down, with the ex-City hero creating 23 chances in Serie A this season, more than any of his Napoli teammates.
Moyes could give him the space behind Barry with James Garner and Harrison Armstrong deeper, though that would mean a decision on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall during the warm up before the match
Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall during the warm up before the match
His run from midfield for Everton’s third against Coventry showed what he brings to that role.
Playing both would be tempting when Everton need a goal, provided Garner has enough support when they lose the ball.
De Bruyne spent more than four months out last season after hamstring surgery, while Everton have leaned heavily on Barry since Beto went to Fiorentina.
A deal is worth discussing if it leaves Moyes enough money to bring in another striker as well.
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