Kevin De Bruyne insisted that he will be a “Man City player for life” while explaining how he came to the decision to join Napoli this summer.
To the surprise of many, including De Bruyne himself, the Belgian playmaker was not offered a new contract by Manchester City before his deal expired in June. At 34, the increasingly injury-prone midfielder was no longer at his peak, but De Bruyne still produced some of the Premier League’s most impressive figures when out on the pitch.
Among players who started more than 10 top-flight matches across the 2024–25 campaign, De Bruyne recorded the best ratio for expected assists and chances created. Only Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard averaged more open-play passes into the penalty area than his veteran counterpart last term.
This remarkable output created a queue of suitors eager to sign De Bruyne on a free transfer this summer. Napoli won the race, but there were admiring glances from Saudi Arabia, several MLS franchises and even Premier League rivals Liverpool.
Inter Miami held exclusive Discovery Rights for De Bruyne, while there was reportedly extensive interest from San Diego and Chicago Fire. Ultimately, the prospect of remaining in one of Europe’s top five leagues—and joining the champions of Italy, no less—proved to be too compelling.
“When I had the whole project in front of me and then the fact that I could play in Italy and still play at a high level was exciting for me,” De Bruyne told assembled media at his first Napoli press conference.
“I have been in the Premier League for so long and in the end I made the decision to go out of England. I have done what I have done and in the end I am a Man City player for life. It was also with the way that it ended for me, I thought, it is time to find a new challenge.”
“Napoli already are champions but they are still improving their squad,” De Bruyne added. “I am hoping that I can help the team grow and I will also learn from them, a new way of playing, a new competition.”
The Belgium international will have at least one familiar face in the dressing room. “Romelu [Lukaku] was happy [about the move],” De Bruyne grinned. “I spoke with him in the national team [camp], he wanted me to join. I know Romelu since we were 13 years old, so we are really tight together. When we played in Chelsea we lived together for two or three months.
“It makes it a little bit easier that I know him because he is somebody who can translate for me and it helps because he knows the coach, he knows the team.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kevin De Bruyne Explains MLS Snub, Makes Man City Commitment.
