Kevin De Bruyne set to finalise Manchester City exit as next club chosen | OneFootball

Manchester City’s legendary creator Kevin De Bruyne has seemingly chosen his next club to join and operate for from the start of the 2025/26 season.

The development comes just days after the veteran playmaker bid farewell to the Etihad Stadium faithful following his final-ever home appearance for Manchester City in a 3-1 win over Bournemouth.

De Bruyne and City will embark on their final game of the ongoing campaign on Sunday afternoon, knowing that avoiding defeat away to Fulham at Craven Cottage would be enough to secure the club a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

And after a short break following the conclusion of the domestic campaign, Manchester City’s stars will reconvene towards the midway point in June to jet out to the United States for the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup.

But after admitting in an interview that an appearance at the tournament with City was unlikely, it now appears as though Kevin De Bruyne will sign off on that belief as he moves towards completing his next switch in the game.

That is according to the information of MailSport’s Jack Gaughan, who reveals that Manchester City’s long-standing number 17 is expected to finalise a free transfer to Serie A champions Napoli over the course of the next two weeks.

It is explained that the Belgium international will negotiate with the Italian giants in the days after over a contract for the upcoming campaign and beyond, with the 33-year-old keen on a two-year deal.

As for competitive interest, the report once again highlights MLS side Chicago Fire as one earlier suitor, while Inter Miami initially held the midfielder’s ‘discovery rights’ and Saudi Pro League teams did not receive encouragement.

From the side of Kevin De Bruyne, it is pointed out that the attacking midfielder wants to prove that he can still perform at the very top level of European football.

The widespread belief is that personal life has also played a significant role in De Bruyne opting for a new start in Italy, having got married to his wife Michele in the same region as what appears to be his next home.

While Kevin De Bruyne’s focus will also be elsewhere next season, and perhaps on retaining the Serie A title with Antonio Conte’s Naples-based club, the Belgian has been consistent in wanting to drive Manchester City back into the Champions League.

“We want to be in the Champions League next year, the team deserves that,” De Bruyne said earlier this week.

“But Fulham is also not going to give it to us, so we need to have a rest these couple of days, get ready, and then perform for the last time on Sunday, and hopefully have a good end result.”

The Manchester City captain is likely to be quizzed on his next steps after the clash with Fulham this weekend, while it also remains to be seen how his current club look at replacing him, having exited the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz due to cost.