Kevin de Bruyne responds to Liverpool offer after Mo Salah urged Man City legend to join him at Anfield
Manchester City legend Kevin de Bruyne will play his final game for the club on Sunday - with Liverpool among the clubs interested in him
Manchester City legend Kevin de Bruyne said his goodbyes to the club’s fans on Tuesday night and is poised to play his final game for the side against Fulham on Sunday.
The Belgian international announced earlier in the campaign that he would be leaving City when his contract expired at the end of the season. He later went on to reveal that he had not been offered a new deal by the club, with his 10-year stint now very near an end.
Liverpool World understands that the Reds are one club who made an offer to De Bruyne, with reports in Italy from Gianluca Di Marzio also making the same claim. Liverpool World is of the understanding, however, that De Bruyne would have to take a significant pay-cut to move to Merseyside.
He is said to be on around £400,000 a week at City, and that is not a salary Liverpool were prepared to offer having just extended the contracts of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk - with the two stars the highest paid players at Liverpool.
Mo Salah previously urged Kevin de Bruyne to make Anfield move
De Bruyne has been involved in plenty of battles with Liverpool over the years. He has come up against the Reds 20 times while playing for City, losing 10 games, winning five and drawing five. He has scored four goals and provided nine assists.
In an interview with Gary Neville for Sky Sports last week, Salah issued a public invite for De Bruyne to join him at Anfield, insisting the Reds “ have space” for the creative midfielder.
Salah said: “I want to tell him congratulations for your career. He’s done a phenomenal job at City, and he was great for the league. I really wish him the best…and we have a space for him!”
De Bruyne has won six Premier League titles for City and has been a huge influence on Pep Guardiola’s side.
De Bruyne responds to Liverpool offer - set for move abroad
De Bruyne has now responded to Liverpool’s offer and he won’t be accepting it, as he has decided to leave the Premier League, according to a report from The Telegraph. The player is settled with his family in Manchester but will take on a new challenge elsewhere with a host of clubs linked from across the globe. Aston Villa had also been credited with an interest in the midfielder.
MLS side Chicago Fire and Serie A title contenders Napoli are two sides strongly linked with De Bruyne while teams in the Saudi Pro League are also showing an interest. talkSPORT report he wants a salary in the region of £230,000 per year. A move for De Bruyne would have been a short-term one for Liverpool, as they eyed some invaluable Premier League experience on a free transfer.
De Bruyne turns 34 in June with the Reds now turning to Bayer Leverkusen ace Florian Wirtz as a means to bolster their midfield.