90min
·25 novembre 2024
90min
·25 novembre 2024
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne revealed that his future at the club remains uncertain and is yet to open talks about extending a deal which expires this summer.
De Bruyne is the only member of City's squad who was at the club when Pep Guardiola was appointed in 2016. The 33-year-old Belgian remains one of the best attacking midfielders in the world, but has been increasingly hampered by injury in recent years.
City's star playmaker was struck down with a "frustrating" muscular issue after playing the full 90 minutes of a 2-1 victory over Brentford in mid-September. De Bruyne had to be withdrawn halfway through City's Champions League clash with Inter a few days later and was subsequently sidelined for the best part of two months.
Ahead of a European visit from Feyenoord on Tuesday, De Bruyne was asked about when he would start discussing a potential contract extension with the club.
"I honestly don't know," the midfielder told reporters.
Kevin De Bruyne was non-committal about his future when quizzed on Monday / Alex Livesey/GettyImages
"At the start of the season, I knew talks would happen but then the thing [injury] happened in Brentford. It was meant to be a couple of days and then it was eight, nine weeks. I put it all to the side."
De Bruyne signed his last deal with City in April 2021, employing the services of data analysts to provide a statistical valuation of his worth. That deal, which reportedly made De Bruyne the best-paid player in the Premier League at the time, expires on 30 June 2025.
"I'm not too worried," De Bruyne insisted. "I'm fine. I'm happy, I just want to play good football again and the future, we'll see. I only can really give you the answers, but I don't know. If there's no talks it will be my last year at the club, but I don't know.
"I had a conversation in the summer, but then I had the injury so I wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk about that. I need to be back on the pitch and be myself again. There's no rush, I don't feel uncomfortable, I'm not worried."
During the summer, De Bruyne was reportedly the subject of interest from Saudi Pro League clubs. Rather than quash those rumours, the Belgium international admitted: "At my age, you have to be open to everything. You're talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that."
If De Bruyne doesn't agree a new deal with City, he can begin negotiating a free transfer with foreign clubs from 1 January.
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