With City having formalised his status as a club legend by commissioning a statue of him, the Belgian will not be moving to a rival in the Premier League
Kevin De Bruyne has ruled out a move to any other Premier League club after playing his last home game for Manchester City on Tuesday against Bournemouth. The midfield maestro is now preparing to embark on the last chapter of his career abroad, closing the door on a vastly productive decade at the Etihad.
The 33-year-old midfielder, who has been the heartbeat of Pep Guardiola’s City side for years, had hinted in earlier interviews that he was “open for anything” when discussing his future, sparking speculation about a potential switch within England. But despite that initial openness, De Bruyne has now made up his mind to avoid joining a City rival in the Premier League, according to the Telegraph.
He is likely to now pursue a new experience in a league like the Major League Soccer in the United States, or the Saudi Pro League in Saudi Arabia. Serie A side Napoli are also reportedly interested in the 33-year-old, keen to add a world-class creator to their title-chasing squad.
This comes after City commissioned a statue of De Bruyne, to be built at the Etihad Stadium. Previous players in City’s modern history to get statues include Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva.
“Manchester is home, Manchester is where these little kids were born,” De Bruyne told supporters after his final Etihad appearance. “I came here with my wife, Michelle, to stay for a long time, didn’t expect to be here 10 years.
“To do what we’ve done as a club, supporters, teammates – we’ve won everything. We made the city, the club bigger and now they’re going to take over.”
