Kevin De Bruyne to Liverpool. The prospect was floated in a throwaway line, in a piece about transfer interest from Napoli, but it has inflamed the imagination — and with Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving this summer, it might just make perfect sense.
The casual bombshell came from Gianluca Di Marzio. His report claimed that De Bruyne has an offer on the table to take him to Anfield.
At first glance, it makes no sense at all, and the overwhelmingly likely outcome is surely still that it comes to nothing. But when you start to factor in all the moving parts, a scenario emerges where Richard Hughes may consider this an ideal opportunistic signing, a chance to brace against the worst impact of losing Alexander-Arnold without embarking on the impossible task of finding a direct replacement.
There’s no doubt that the prospect would appeal to De Bruyne. We’ve thought of five reasons, but it boils down to this: he believes he still belongs at the very highest level.
He could get that by joining Arne Slot’s league winners, proving a point to his old employer in the process. And of course, it helps that he would not need to relocate his family.
By far the more salient question is whether the move would appeal to Liverpool. This seems the likelier sticking point, if there is to be one.
But all of the talk last summer was about Liverpool being primed for “opportunities”. That was ultimately exemplified by a low-cost move for Federico Chiesa.
Hughes must realize that the upside with De Bruyne is far higher. This, after all, is a player who has battled with Mohamed Salah to be the face of the league over the past eight seasons.
Admittedly, Salah has pulled way clear this season, with time and injuries beginning to catch up with De Bruyne. His signing would come with plenty of risk on that front, especially as his wages would not be cheap (even accounting for a significant reduction).
And yet when he has played for Man City this season, De Bruyne has been an undiminished creative force in possession. If ever there was a time when Liverpool might consider a short-term gamble, it is now, with Alexander-Arnold walking away.
(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Liverpool won’t be too concerned about losing a full-back; it has Conor Bradley ready to step up. Its worries will lie in how to replace such a generational playmaker, with the vision and execution to unlock defenses from all angles.
It has always seemed likely that the “replacement” could be a midfielder. Perhaps Alexis Mac Allister or Dominik Szoboszlai will be able to step up, taking on slightly different roles and responsibilites — but as far as insurance policies go, it doesn’t get much better than De Bruyne.
Alexander-Arnold has played 8.67 progressive passes per 90 minutes for Liverpool in the league this season, behind only Martin Odegaard and Bruno Fernandes among players to have played at least 1500 minutes. De Bruyne completes the top five (behind James Maddison), having averaged 7.89 progressive passes.
Incidentally, Harvey Elliott has averaged 9.67 progressive passes, albeit from just 267 Premier League minutes. Slot’s solution could yet be to lean more on his talents.
But in terms of proven creators, De Bruyne is still the very best around. Thinking about some of the specific passes Alexander-Arnold has in the locker, the Man City star is the only one who comes to mind who could match his repertoire stride for stride.
When it comes to expected assists, De Bruyne remains the league leader on a per 90 basis, again when looking at those to have played 1500 minutes or more. He ranks even higher than Salah.
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Nobody would expect him to come to Liverpool and be able to sustain such numbers as a starter across 38 games, not to mention the Champions League campaign. But used sparingly, his brilliance would undoubtedly enhance the squad.
Turning 34 next month, De Bruyne would inevitably have to be a passenger in certain out-of-possession aspects. But as a break-glass option when Liverpool is struggling for ideas, that’s a trade-off Slot may be willing to accept.
Consider the League Cup final: a game without Alexander-Arnold, as it happens. By the end of it, Slot had ripped up any kind of discernible shape to the team, searching desparately for a way to change the game.
Chiesa (and Elliott, incidentally) did manage to make some sort of impact. But being able to summon De Bruyne would have made Liverpool an entirely different proposition.
There is perhaps a whiff of Thiago, who was meant to be the player Liverpool “deserved” to reach new heights, but who ended up spending most of his time in the treatment room. But Alexander-Arnold is not a player who can be replaced by playing it safe, and the sudden availability of another generational playmaker simply cannot be overlooked.
