Ahead of a summer of change at Manchester City, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne might well be the biggest talking point.
Arguably Manchester City’s best player of the modern era, Kevin De Bruyne sees his contract expire in the summer, and there’s been no-end of talk about whether or not he stays at the Etihad.
It’s long been understood that De Bruyne has interest from elsewhere; namely form the MLS and from Saudi Arabia with the Belgian earning at least £300,000-a-week at Manchester City, and seemingly unlikely to take such a huge pay cut to stay somewhere in Europe.
In February, Fabrizio Romano commented on De Bruyne’s future at Man City and he played down rumours that Pep Guardiola’s side have told the Belgian, who turns 34 this summer, that he needs to leave the club at the end of this season.
But Romano did go on to play up the chances of De Bruyne leaving Manchester City after what would be a 10 year stay at the club.
Now, there’s a fresh update on the situation.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Kevin De Bruyne open to extending Manchester City contract
De Bruyne seems to have been undecided about staying with Manchester City beyond this season. He’s made no concrete ambitions clear and it’s been obvious that he’s fallen behind the pace this season, with Man City fans critical of De Bruyne in recent performances against the likes of Liverpool in particular.
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But an emerging report from Mirror writes that De Bruyne ‘is still believed to be open to extending his stay at the Etihad’. That might be unsurprising given his staggering weekly wages at the club, though ultimately the decision lies with Pep and those behind the scenes at Manchester City.
So far in 2024/25, De Bruyne has played 30 times in all competitions, scoring four goals and assisting seven more. Since joining from Wolfsburg in 2015, the former Chelsea man has played 412 times in all competitions for City, scoring 106 and assisting and incredible 174.
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
The player who Man City want to replace Kevin De Bruyne
Despite De Bruyne wanting to stay, all signs point towards him leaving: his poor form, his clear lack of energy this season, and the fact that City just need a complete overhaul of the whole squad, particularly the midfield.
And earlier in the season it was reported that Manchester City want to sign Florian Wirtz as a direct replacement for De Bruyne this summer, with the Bayer Leverkusen star currently attracting a lot of interest from Europe’s top teams.
The link has been somewhat cold in recent weeks with both City and Leverkusen focussing on their respective league duties. But it’s one that could quickly come back into headlines with City bound to spend big this summer, in a bid to get back on top next season.