Manchester City all star Kevin De Bruyne could leave the club at the end of the season – recent reports suggest the Belgian international is ‘negotiating’ his exit from the Etihad Stadium.
De Bruyne’s contract with the Sky Blues will expire at the end of the 2024/25 campaign – with no new deal on the horizon, it seems his time as a Manchester City player is nearing its end. According to The Athletic, he has already ‘held talks’ with San Diego FC in the MLS.
Speaking in a recent interview with Belgian outlet HLN, De Bruyne said: “At my age, you have to be open to everything. You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the last stage of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.”
How much will Manchester City miss Kevin De Bruyne upon his departure?
In previous seasons, De Bruyne has been City’s lynchpin – without him, their style of play was much more difficult to implement effectively. However, at the age of 33, De Bruyne is not the energetic dynamo he once was.
While still an incredible player, his workrate – arguably his most valuable asset – has diminished over the last few years. Furthermore, he is no longer the fantastic provider of assists he used to be, with just one to his name this season across all competitions.
According to FBref, De Bruyne’s passing stats are still very impressive – he has made 47 progressive passes this season alone. Nevertheless, his defensive stats leave much to be desired – previously, he had been competent on the defensive side of things, but this is no longer the case.
In the modern game, where all players are required to have defensive nous, De Bruyne is starting to become obsolete – he will be missed by the City faithful, but his time at the elite level is beginning to pass him by.
