Kevin De Bruyne: Napoli trying to land deal to sign Manchester City midfielder
Kevin De Bruyne leaving Manchester City at the end of season; De Bruyne signed for City in 2015 from Wolfsburg for a fee of £54.5m and has won every piece of major silverware in his 10 years at the club; Aston Villa understood to be interested in the Belgium international
Thursday 8 May 2025 15:27, UK
Napoli have made a move to sign Kevin De Bruyne when his Manchester City contract expires at the end of next month.
City announced last month that De Bruyne would be leaving after they decided not to offer the 33-year-old a contract decision.
De Bruyne described it as a "business" decision and he still feels he has a lot to offer at the highest level of the game.
According to Sky Italy's transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna has been in Manchester in the last few weeks for talks with the player.
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The discussions were held for Napoli to "present their sporting project" and also to "understand the player's requests".
Di Marzio says De Bruyne is opening up to the transfer and is evaluating it with his family and entourage.
The deal would be a very complicated one and the Serie A club are trying to beat off competition from other big sides. MLS and Saudi Pro League sides are also keen to sign De Bruyne, although it is more likely that he will stay in Europe at this stage of his career.
Antonio Conte's Napoli are already planning for next season while trying to wrap up the Serie A title race in Italy. They are three points clear of Inter Milan at the top of Serie A with three games to play.
Napoli hope De Bruyne's friendship with national team-mate Romelu Lukaku's and his desire to stay in Europe could have an impact.
Aston Villa have also held internal discussions about a potential move for De Bruyne, Sky Sports News understands.
De Bruyne's reluctance to uproot his family and prioritising his football and home life when making a decision on his next destination has alerted several Premier League clubs.
The 33-year-old will go down as one of the Premier League's greatest players after winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five Carabao Cups and the Champions League in an unprecedented period of success for City.
De Bruyne was also part of Pep Guardiola's treble-winning team in 2022/23.
Guardiola described it as a sad day to see De Bruyne's exit confirmed and said he "is one of the greatest" players the Premier League has ever seen.
