Kevin De Bruyne held talks with one of Manchester City’s bitterest Premier League rivals before joining Napoli on a free, a bombshell report has claimed.
The Belgian was confirmed as a Napoli star and hailed as ‘King Kev’ earlier this month as City showed him the door following a decade of impeccable service.
De Bruyne, who also considered the prospect of joining Chicago Fire, seemed wistful to be leaving the Etihad but is determined to make a point.
The Athletic reports that the 33-year-old opted for Napoli partly so he could prove City wrong for letting him go by showing he can compete at the top level.
Napoli recently lifted their second Serie A title in three seasons and Antonio Conte’s side could face City in the Champions League this coming season.
However, De Bruyne also had a ‘brief conversation’ with Liverpool in a revelation that will shock many fans.
Kevin De Bruyne reportedly talked with Liverpool after learning he would be leaving Man City
The Belgian was confirmed as a Napoli player earlier this month after a decade at the Etihad
He was actually a Reds supporter growing up. While in the academy at Genk, he revealed: ‘My favourite club is Liverpool and my favourite player is Michael Owen, and I would love to play there one day.’
In 2019, he told the Match of the Day magazine: ‘I was a Liverpool fan. My family that live in England were all Liverpool supporters so I was, too.
‘I loved Michael Owen because I was really small like him and quick, too. I compared myself to him at the time. I liked [Zinedine] Zidane and Ronaldinho too – those really skilful players.’
Even considering this, it would have been a jaw-dropping move had De Bruyne actually joined his side’s recent rivals.
Liverpool and City have shared the last eight Premier League titles (two vs six), and the one to miss out has been runner-up in three of those seasons.
The last players to switch between the two clubs were James Milner and Raheem Sterling in 2015-16, with the former joining Liverpool and the latter going to City.
De Bruyne still had an important role to play at City last season but his minutes had to be tempered by the occasional drop to the bench.
His impact at the sharp end also reduced. De Bruyne still chipped in with six goals and eight assists across all competitions, but these were his joint-lowest totals from any season he had at the club.
He hopes his impact can extend for multiple years into the future, having penned a two-year deal wiht Napoli with the option of a third.
‘It’s been unbelievable to have the 10 years that I had with everything that happened here,’ De Bruyne said of his City exit. ‘It’s been an unbelievable ride and an absolute pleasure.
‘It was a joy working really hard to try and help create something that brought the club the success we enjoyed. I’m super proud to have played a part in that.
‘Manchester has been my home and my family’s home for these past 10 years.’
De Bruyne was swarmed as he arrived in Italy, donning a Napoli shirt for the first time.
And he has reportedly already been busy trying to have some influence away from the field.
According to The Sun, the playmaker has been talking to Conte about Jack Grealish, who is free to leave City this summer after being left out of their Club World Cup squad.
