Pep Guardiola has affirmed that Kevin De Bruyne will remain at Manchester City this season, despite rumors of a potential move to Saudi Arabia.
De Bruyne, who has one year left on his current contract, recently discussed his future plans with his wife Michele. He hinted at the possibility of leaving Manchester City, suggesting that Michele was open to an “exotic adventure.”
Reports indicated that Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad was interested in signing De Bruyne. However, UK press reports on Tuesday confirmed that City manager Guardiola dismissed the idea of the 33-year-old departing this season.
Speaking before Manchester City’s friendly match against Celtic in North Carolina, Guardiola stated, “Kevin isn’t leaving.”
De Bruyne returned to action in the second half of last season after recovering from an injury, contributing to City’s historic fourth consecutive Premier League title. Since joining from Wolfsburg in 2015, he has won 15 major trophies with City, including six Premier League titles and one Champions League crown.
Guardiola remains confident that De Bruyne will stay at the Etihad Stadium this season. However, it is uncertain if he will be able to convince the Belgian to extend his stay beyond that.
In a recent interview, De Bruyne said, “My eldest (child) is now eight years old and knows nothing but England. He also asks how long I will play at City. Once the time comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way.”
He added, “At my age, you have to be open to everything. You talk about unbelievable amounts in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that. If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money.”
Meanwhile, Guardiola indicated that Manchester City is unlikely to make significant changes to the squad before their Premier League season opener against Chelsea on August 18. Although Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze has been linked with City, and goalkeeper Ederson has received potential offers from Saudi Arabia, major transfers are not anticipated.
“Of course, until the last day, we have chances (to make transfers), I don’t rule out the option to have new players, but I think there is an 85, 90% chance we will have the same squad,” Guardiola said.
He continued, “I feel comfortable, because the quality of human beings we have in the squad is difficult to be replaced, and the quality is there. But we’ll see. I don’t know in the last moment if someone comes for some players and they leave, we’re going to decide. If someone leaves, we’re going to talk about that.”
