OPINION £100m Saudi offer accepted, Mo Salah repeat – Kevin De Bruyne Man City future verdict given.
Manchester City great Kevin De Bruyne is still delivering for the club but is he still unsellable with a year left on his deal?
Manchester City have played a big chunk of their season without Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian was injured in the opening Premier League game at Burnley and after five months on the sidelines there have also been some niggles since returning. De Bruyne notched his 14th and 15th assists of the campaign when he set up Josko Gvardiol and Erling Haaland in the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend, completing a fine run that saw him equalise against Real Madrid, tee up Bernardo Silva in the FA Cup semi-final and then score a wonderful header against Brighton.
His form and the fact that he has just one year remaining on his current deal have certainly alerted the Saudi Pro League, who are on the lookout for the biggest names in the game to grow a competition that Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte headed to last season. Selling De Bruyne has been unthinkable for so long, but as the summer transfer window approaches our writers ask whether it still is.
Simon Bajkowski
“It’s a sign of the difficulties Kevin De Bruyne has had this season that the question of City existing without him hasn’t immediately been dismissed. De Bruyne defied science to play through his injury at the back end of last season, but a big hamstring issue in the Champions League final was followed by another big hamstring issue 20 minutes into his return.
“City had to live without him for five months, and it is not the first time they have asked themselves how long a Belgian suffering with injury problems can go on. In his absence, first Julian Alvarez and then Phil Foden stepped up to the party in a big way and now every time De Bruyne isn’t on it the lingering feeling that Foden could have done more is bigger.
“At the same time, as Foden himself admits, De Bruyne is still the king when he is on it. That may have been less often than anyone would like this season, but he still has more assists (15) in a year where he has been injured for five months than any other Premier League player has in all competitions; the man has talents that nobody can match.
“The ageing and the development of Foden means that City should consider a bid for De Bruyne this summer, but only for silly money. If the Saudi Pro League wants to offer £100m for someone who will be 33 in June, it should be entertained.
For everything he brings to the team, anything up to £50m should be laughed out of the door even for a player approaching the final year of his contract. His value is still too high, even if it would bring in almost the same money that City paid for him all the way back in 2015.
Just like Kompany, De Bruyne keeps firing back every time anyone writes him off. And just like Kompany, he deserves the chance to decide what terms he leaves City on.”
Tyrone Marshall
“It certainly feels like we are approaching the end game for De Bruyne. He is 33 now, has started to pick up more injuries and looks to struggle with fatigue at various points in the season. He isn’t necessarily the most natural athlete and it’s no surprise his powers might be slightly on the wane.
But it still feels too early to be calling time on his City career. A record of 15 assists in his last 20 appearances is evidence of just how good he continues to be and he has come up with some big moments in the second half of this season. Let’s not forget his stunning influence off the bench at Newcastle in January and the praise he was receiving then.
“He has had quite games since then and many of them have come against the bigger sides. Arsenal was a notable example and he took a while to really get going against Real Madrid. His influence is still clear on this side, however, and when he does play well it can make everything click.
Foden is clearly improving centrally and while I wouldn’t be selling De Bruyne this summer, it might be a case that he sits out a few more games next season, allowing Foden to run the show, something he has shown he is more than capable of doing this season.
Joe Bray
“If you asked me a couple of weeks ago, I’d have said what De Bruyne needs more than anything is a rest. He has been scoring and assisting big goals in the last few weeks – but was the overall performance up to his usual high standard?
“Luckily, in the last two outings, he has proved me and any other doubters emphatically wrong. He was sensational at Brighton and sent in two match-winning assists at Nottingham Forest to continue his consistent run of creating goals since he returned form injury. After that came the incredible stat that no Premier League player has more assists than him in all competitions – and he was injured for five months.
So I can appreciate why the question is being asked of his future. Phil Foden’s brilliant form at No.10 has maybe brought that question forward. But when De Bruyne is scoring against Real Madrid, winning games on his own at Palace and Forest, and playing twice in three days to a high standard – it makes any other opinion redundant.
“Even a half-fit De Bruyne is better than any other player on the pitch, and he’s the kind of player to give everything whatever condition he is in. To be scoring and assisting regardless of any lingering fitness issues is the only argument to keep him and continue to build the team around him next season. No money offered is worth what he can provide for the Blues as long as he’s fit.”
Jack Flintham
“Before the turn of the year, the question of De Bruyne’s future would have revolved around how much would have been an acceptable bid in the summer to sell him for. The end of last season was disrupted by injury and this season started in a similar fashion.
“You could have even argued that the Belgian playmaker was dispensable as the Blues continued to play dominantly in his absence. However, since his return, De Bruyne has remarkably slotted back into the City line-up and has improved Guardiola’s side.
The question is now whether or not City can afford to potentially let him leave in 2025 on a free transfer. Arguably the answer to that is yes.
“Like all players, De Bruyne has a shelf life and he is currently performing to a level where he remains an asset for the club. He has already repaid the £54m they spent on him in 2015 and then some.
Should he ride off into the sunset a la Ilkay Gundogan, I don’t think anyone would blame the club for not cashing in sooner. Equally, if he were to sign a contract extension, it would be sound business and would push the issue of replacing him down the line – albeit Phil Foden is more than ready to step up to the plate.
“Frankly, City does not need to sell De Bruyne to fund improvements to their squad which is a luxurious position to be in. Unless he wants to depart, there is little reason to part ways with the playmaker even if a £100m bid is submitted from Saudi Arabia.”
Tom Coley
“De Bruyne’s position at City feels similar to Mohamed Salah at Liverpool. Here is a Premier League legend who has hit an injury and not managed to recover to be the same as before. Into his 30s, it’s no surprise.
“The idea of selling a player still capable of winning games on his own is still quite unthinkable though. When he first returned against Newcastle, scoring and assisting in December in a manner so as to say, ‘I’m back, and I’m still better than everyone else,’ it felt like any question over his future would ebb away.
But if, and it’s still a big if, a sizeable offer was to come in then City’s cold, logical workings would find it hard to say no. They have sold other top players – albeit not at the level of De Bruyne – at times when other clubs simply wouldn’t have. Maybe a lot of it comes down to De Bruyne himself.
“City owe him this decision. If he feels that there is still more to give, and frankly why wouldn’t he? Then he has done more than enough to warrant going out on his own terms, or indeed staying to play whatever sort of role Guardiola has for him.
“Be it in a deeper position or with more fleeting starts and appearances, De Bruyne is an asset. City are considerably weaker without him and someone of his quality transcends the money on the table.”
Isaac Johnson
“Sure to be immortalised in bronze sometime soon, the club owes Kevin De Bruyne to make up his own mind. Selling him seems premature – to say the least – given he leads the assists chart with 15 having missed the first half of the season.
Longevity is inevitably a question and it’s not like City haven’t got ample replacement with Phil Foden ripping it up. But right now, you’re still starting De Bruyne over Foden at No.10 if it’s a Champions League final or title decider.
“That could change within the next 12 months, after which his contract expires. In today’s FFP era there is understandably such a clammer to maximise player sales and secure profits.
“But are City really going to get close to the £55m they paid for him in 2015? Is it worth risking a sour end to a legendary stay? I’d say no, even if it means him leaving for free next year.
“Besides, he’s more than paid back his transfer fee for the club. It’d be a more natural and softer ending if City opted against a renewal rather than show him the door ahead of time. If anyone deserves breathing space, it is De Bruyne.”
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