‘Man City to snub Kevin De Bruyne’ – ‘Nobody cares’
Man City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is out of contract with the club in the summer, with Danny Murphy and Simon Jordan now issuing predictions over whether he will be offered a new deal.
Both pundits are ultimately of the opinion that the Belgian will leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of this season, although there is some difference of opinion on how that exit may come about.
Amid his contract expiring, De Bruyne has been linked with a summer move to MLS throughout much of the season.
The midfielder has also been hampered by injuries, but has struggled for game time even when fit to play for Man City in a situation Rio Ferdinand recently described as “disheartening”.
That has only added to the growing belief that De Bruyne will leave Pep Guardiola’s side in the summer, with debate now developing around whether the 34-year-old will even be offered a new contract.
Kevin De Bruyne no longer cared about at the Etihad – Simon Jordan
Speaking about De Bruyne ahead of his side’s clash with Tottenham on Wednesday (26 February), Guardiola suggested it will be the player’s decision whether or not he leaves the club.
Murphy believes that the Belgian’s time with Man City is coming to an end, and that the club will offer him a deal he cannot accept in order to allow him to leave on his own terms.
| Kevin De Bruyne for Man City in 2024/25 | Total (as per Transfermarkt) |
| Appearances | 27 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 6 |
| Yellow Cards | 2 |
| Red Cards | 0 |
| Minutes | 1,494 |
Discussing the situation around De Bruyne’s future at the Etihad while on talkSPORT, the former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder said: “I think he’ll leave. What a player, he’s just been incredible to watch but the last couple of years have been hard for him because he’s missed so much football with injuries.
“Even watching him now he hasn’t quite got that athleticism and sharpness that he once had, so you would imagine at 34 – also it is up to him probably they would give him a contract.
“But I don’t think the contract would be the same as what he’s earning so with his name and his legacy and what he’s achieved in the game… I think he’ll end up in Saudi or MLS probably.”
Jordan though does not believe that the Premier League champions will be concerned with the optics of the situation, questioning why Man City would “bother” offering him a contract.
After presenter Jim White suggested they could do so to ensure it is ultimately De Bruyne’s decision, the ex-Crystal Palace chairman added: “But nobody cares anymore and everybody knows Manchester City have got to rebuild and everybody is at a point know where they’re going ‘well what’s happened to Man City?
‘We know there’s a rebuild needed and Kevin De Bruyne is probably at the stage of his career where he’s not going to be part of it’
“So nobody cares. The optics of it mean nothing to nobody, so why would City offer him anything?”
Man City should offer Kevin De Bruyne new deal
Football Insider Verdict
Even if, as seems inevitable, De Bruyne does leave the club in the summer, he should surely at least be offered a new deal first.
The midfielder has done an incredible amount for Man City, proving key to their success with so many trophies over the past decade or so.
He surely therefore deserves to be given a respectful exit on his own terms with his own decision, rather than the humiliation of being dumped without another offer.
That way, he will be able to say a full and proper farewell to the club that has also given him so much, without any lingering tension being felt with a Man City legend over the way his exit is handled.