Merseyside journalists provide update on Kevin De Bruyne to Liverpool transfer claims | OneFootball

Counter reporting from journalists on Merseyside have issued fresh reports concerning the future of Kevin De Bruyne following claims from Italian media on Wednesday.

The Manchester City midfielder confirmed his exit from the Etihad Stadium last month after meetings with club officials concluded that the player would not be issued with extended terms to his agreement that terminates in June.

The widespread belief, courtesy of interviews handed out by the player since the announcement, is that De Bruyne would have been open to an extended stay with Manchester City and still believes that he has the capabilities to play at the very highest level.

However, with Manchester City transfer officials expected to be eyeing an overhaul of their playing squad this summer with a number of high-profile targets identified, the salary package of De Bruyne for a player at his age and stage of his career was deemed necessary to release.

That leaves the 33-year-old with the choice of taking up a new challenge this summer, with Major League Soccer understood to be the most likely destination, despite the midfielder keeping the door open to a new challenge in Europe.

That openness to a European proposal has led to numerous clubs showing an interest in securing the player’s services, with the latest side to be tipped with an interest coming from within the Premier League in Liverpool.

However, according to the information of the Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle, the newly-crowned Premier League champions have not made an offer to sign De Bruyne ahead of this summer, with Anfield’s recruitment team presently training sights elsewhere.

The Athletic’s James Pearce has also denied the claims from Italian media.

It is however understood that Serie A giants Napoli have a firm interest in signing the player, although at this stage there has been no understanding as to whether De Bruyne himself would be interested in their offering.

For now, Kevin De Bruyne is likely to remain focussed on the task at hand with Manchester City, after he himself reiterated on numerous occasions that he would love nothing more than to aid the side in getting into next season’s UEFA Champions League.

With two away fixtures and one more final home game remaining for Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester City in the Premier League, there is also an FA Cup Final on the horizon when they take on Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium later this month.