Cliff Notes – Kevin De Bruyne heading for Napoli move over MLS
- Kevin De Bruyne will initiate talks with Napoli next week, opting for a move to the Serie A champions over a potential transfer to Chicago Fire FC in MLS.
- The 33-year-old midfielder is set to make his final appearance for Manchester City after the club decided against renewing his contract, which expires at the end of June.
- De Bruyne is likely to join Belgium teammate Romelu Lukaku at Napoli, with negotiations expected to proceed smoothly for both football and family reasons.
Sources: Kevin De Bruyne heading for Napoli move over MLS
Kevin De Bruyne will open talks with Napoli next week over a free agent move to the newly-crowned Serie A champions, rejecting the chance to move to MLS with Chicago Fire FC, sources have told ESPN.
De Bruyne, 33, is due to make his final appearance for Manchester City against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday after the club opted against extending the Belgium midfielder’s contract at the Etihad.
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Despite helping City to six Premier League titles and a Champions League success in 2023 since completing a £55 million transfer from VfL Wolfsburg in 2015, De Bruyne was told last month that he would not be offered a new deal when current contract expires at the end of June.
De Bruyne has since said that he wanted to stay at the club. But after being the subject of interest from clubs in the Premier League, Germany and MLS, most notably the Chicago Fire, sources have said that De Bruyne has now decided to accept an offer from Napoli, who sealed the Italian title on Friday with a 2-0 win at home to Cagliari.
Sources have said that no agreement is yet in place with Napoli and that formal discussions will only take place following the end of the Premier League season with City.
However, sources added that De Bruyne is almost certain to join Belgium teammate Romelu Lukaku at the Diego Maradona Stadium, and has opted to move to Napoli for football and family reasons. Negotiations are expected to go smoothly.