Speaking recently on the Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano discussed the contract situation of Manchester City midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne.
Since arriving at City from VfL Wolfsburg in what was a £68.4 million deal back in 2015, De Bruyne has proved to be a revelation for the club, scoring 58 goals and providing a remarkable 96 assists over his 233 appearances.
So far this season, the £108 million-rated 29-year-old has impressed over his seven Premier League appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side, scoring one goal and providing three assists, while averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.14 – ranking him as the club’s third-best performer in the league.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Here We Go podcast, Romano claimed that, despite the fact that the Belgium international has until the summer of 2023 left to run on his current contract at City, the club have offered the midfielder a new deal.
He said: “The contract is now on the table, so official negotiation has started. Obviously for De Bruyne, looking at the situation of Pep Guardiola was key to staying at the club, because obviously, without Guardiola, [it would have been] a different situation for De Bruyne. With Pep Guardiola at the centre of the project, extending his contract with Manchester City has been key to [keeping] De Bruyne.
“So, we are really close to the agreement for De Bruyne. I expect [City] in some weeks, in some months, to complete everything [and] De Bruyne will extend his contract with Manchester City, at the moment there is no problem.
“So we will see, [in football], until the contract is signed, you can’t say it’s done. But, at the moment, the contract is on the table, the player wants to stay, Guardiola wants the player [and] Manchester City want to keep him.”
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TIF Thoughts on Fabrizio Romano’s comments regarding Kevin De Bruyne…
From Romano’s comments, it is clear that the journalist is confident that De Bruyne will indeed go on to sign a contract extension at the club, and that something could be announced in the coming weeks or months.
While this is obviously good news for Manchester City fans because of the importance De Bruyne holds within their side, it also represents a turnaround in the player’s thinking, as, earlier this year, it was reported that the 29-year-old could be considering his future at the club.
However, if Romano is to be believed, it would seem that any idea of De Bruyne leaving Manchester can be well and truly buried, as, should he go on to sign the new deal, it would appear likely that the midfielder will remain at the club for many more years to come.