The Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne announced his end-of-the-season departure back in April with a heartfelt social media video.
Since his announcement, Kevin De Bruyne has spoken little about his next move but has previously hinted at wanting to stay in the North West. However, a move to Napoli is looking increasingly likely.
This season, De Bruyne has been significantly impacted by injuries, making only 20 Premier League appearances and seven-goal involvements.
In the 23/24 season, De Bruyne picked up a hamstring injury against Burnley and missed a large portion of games.
In this time, Manchester City‘s goal average dropped from 3.1 to 2.5, and their win rate decreased by 15%. The Manchester side will certainly suffer from his departure if they cannot secure key transfers this summer.
Manchester City’s shortlist to reinvent the midfield
Manchester City have struggled since their treble win in 2023. Pep Guardiola admitted that he was unsure if his side will be in a title challenge next season.
Amid competition for Florian Wirtz from Liverpool and Bayern Munich, Manchester City have set their sights on Cherki.
The 21-year-old has enjoyed a phenomenal season at Lyon and would make sense in the attacking midfield position at Manchester City. The playmaker is likely to cost the club around £20 million, which is significantly lower than a potential Wirtz signing.
Cherki was the third-highest goalscorer for Lyon this season, claiming eight goals and assisting 11.
Kenan Yildiz, 19, has been on Manchester City’s radar for a few months and is expected to make a move from Juventus this summer. The young winger shows promise, scoring four goals and providing two assists this season in Serie A.
When previously asked in a press conference if he thought Phil Foden could step up to De Bruyne’s role, Guardiola told the reporters that City just didn’t have the specific skills De Bruyne provides.
Where will De Bruyne fit in the Napoli squad?
If De Bruyne joins the Italian side this summer, next season he will be joining fellow Belgian international and former Chelsea teammate Lukaku.
De Bruyne is best suited to a right-sided midfield attack and paired with Lukaku’s strength and finishing ability, could make a strong attacking partnership.
He will potentially be joining the likes of Scottish midfielder, and former Manchester United rival, Scott McTominay who secured Napoli’s Serie A title.
There is a lot of promise in this transfer if Napoli and De Bruyne’s team come to a transfer agreement.
The post What Kevin De Bruyne moving closer to a Napoli deal means for Manchester City appeared first on HITC.
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