Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has reportedly decided against a move to MLS and is expected to fly to Italy next week to negotiate a contract with newly crowned Serie A champions Napoli.
The 33-year-old’s tenure at the Etihad Stadium will conclude after City’s final Premier League match of the 2024–25 season against Fulham, a game they hope to win to secure their return to the Champions League next season.
De Bruyne has admitted that City decided not to offer him a new contract, rather than him seeking a new destination. Despite facing injury challenges, his continued high level of play has underlined widespread interest from other top clubs.
A move to MLS had always seemed a strong possibility for De Bruyne. Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami initially held the Discovery Rights for the Belgian, before the attacking midfielder was widely linked with San Diego and Chicago Fire.
However, reports from ESPN and The Times have confirmed that De Bruyne has rejected a move to the United States. He is now expected to pursue a transfer to Antonio Conte’s Napoli, who recently clinched the Serie A title after narrowly overcoming the challenge of Champions League finalists Inter Milan.
The latter report suggests that a two-year contract awaits De Bruyne in Naples, while Fabrizio Romano claims a lucrative three-year deal worth €27 million ($30.6 million, £22.6 million), including a signing-on fee, is on the table.
De Bruyne told the media after City’s FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace that he had not yet decided on his next move, emphasizing that he would consider his family and young children in addition to his professional needs. However, he could now be set to link up with his national teammate Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku, 32, scored the second goal in Napoli’s 2-0 title-clinching victory over Cagliari, after former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay opened the scoring with an acrobatic scissor-kick. Both Lukaku and De Bruyne now boast impressive career statistics.
De Bruyne’s career at City has yielded six Premier League titles, numerous domestic cups, the Champions League in 2023, and, at the time of writing, 285 goal involvements – 108 goals and 177 assists – in 421 appearances.