De Bruyne sends message to 'nicest legend in football' after Van Dijk link-up

Kevin De Bruyne met up with Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk after saying goodbye to Manchester City and the Premier League.

The 2024–25 season proved to be De Bruyne's last at the Etihad Stadium after 10 seasons at the heart of Man City's midfield, nine of which came as the fulcrum of Pep Guardiola's all-conquering title winners.

De Bruyne announced his departure from Man City on 4 April and sparked a wave of reports linking him to other clubs, and was "deluged with offers" from clubs across Europe, Saudi Arabia and the MLS.

However, De Bruyne's future has already been decided and his move to Napoli on a free transfer was sealed on 12 June, as the 33-year-old prepares to swap City colours for a different shade of light blue.

Van Dijk and De Bruyne meet up with 'legend of the game'

De Bruyne was even linked with a surprise move to Liverpool amid the plethora of offers tabled upon his exit from Man City at the end of last season, but elected to leave the Premier League behind for Serie A.

By contrast, Van Dijk is staying put at Anfield after he put pen to paper on a new two-year contract with Liverpool alongside Mohamed Salah, which ended speculation over the pair's long-term futures.

Van Dijk won't have the game-breaking of ability to contend with when Liverpool face Man City next season, but his friendship with the Belgian hasn't waned as the pair met up with Brazil legend Ronaldo.

Posting on his Instagram story (21 June) from a resort in Southern France, De Bruyne posed for a photo with Van Dijk and Ronaldo, after which he called the Brazilian; "[The] nicest legend in the game".

Liverpool and Man City both respond to De Bruyne departure

Football Insider Verdict

De Bruyne's exit from Man City didn't provide Guardiola's side with a transfer fee, but the Blues have wasted no time in finding a replacement for De Bruyne with £112million already spent on new signings.

City are hopeful that Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki combined will be able to replicate De Bruyne's impact in both central and attacking midfield respectively, and the pair have already made their debuts.

Liverpool may have missed out on signing De Bruyne in a shock move, but they've also shown that they intend to keep City at arm's length in the form of Florian Wirtz's record-breaking transfer from Bayer Leverkusen.