It didn’t come as much of a surprise to most soccer fans when it was announced that Kevin De Bruyne would be leaving Manchester City as a free agent at the end of the season.
One person who was seemingly surprised, though, was De Bruyne himself. “I have not had any offer the whole year, they just took a decision,” De Bruyne said, in April, of City‘s decision to release him. “Obviously, I was a bit surprised but I just have to accept it. Honestly, I still think I can perform at this level like I’m showing, but I understand clubs have to make decisions.”
De Bruyne has struggled with injuries over the last couple of seasons, which contributed to City’s decision to let him go, and while he clearly still has it in him to perform at the top level, City obviously decided it couldn’t justify the wages it is paying the Belgian any longer.
On Wednesday, a report emerged on the Gianluca Di Marzio website which said that Liverpool has made De Bruyne a shock offer to move to Anfield in the summer.
While that would go against the transfer policy that Liverpool usually implements — prioritizing signing players in their early to mid-20s — De Bruyne could be viewed a special case due to how good he is.
Most Reds fans would agreed that a short-term deal on modest wages would make it worthwhile to take a punt on the 33-year-old, who many view to be the greatest midfielder in the history of the Premier League.
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From De Bruyne’s perspective, there are a multitude of reasons why a switch to Anfield might appeal: firstly, De Bruyne recently said he is “open to anything”, which means he would not flat-out refuse a move to Liverpool just because the club has emerged as one of City’s biggest rivals over the last decade.
Secondly, De Bruyne also said he will look to do what’s best for his family; joining Liverpool, another club in the north west of England, would allow him to remain in his Cheshire home and mean he would not be uprooting his wife and their three children.
Thirdly, it’s no secret that De Bruyne was a Liverpool fan when he was growing up. “My favorite club is Liverpool and my favorite player is Michael Owen,” an 11-year-old De Bruyne admitted in old video footage. “And I would love to play there one day.”
Next up is his well-documented friendship with Virgil van Dijk, who has just committed his future to Liverpool for the next two years; Van Dijk and De Bruyne regularly go on vacation together, and back in 2022, Van Dijk had this to say about his good friend: “Someone that I’ve never played with before but would love at Liverpool is Kevin De Bruyne.
“I think he’s unbelievable. If he would have played at Liverpool we would have gone even further than we already have. I think he’s outstanding, good on the ball, pressing, scoring, he’s got everything as a modern-day midfielder and footballer in general. I think he’s an outstanding player.”
And lastly, there is of course the appeal of becoming part of a team that has just won the Premier League. Arne Slot’s men are the champions of England, and the players have aspirations of repeating that feat and also becoming the champions of Europe next season.
