Kevin De Bruyne’s England aspirations discussed by Pep Guardiola ahead of Manchester City exit | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has weighed in on reports hinting Kevin De Bruyne’s desire to stay in the Premier League when he leaves Manchester City at the end of the season.

De Bruyne started and played 90 minutes in a frustrating goalless draw against Southampton at St. Mary’s on Saturday, again wearing the armband in one of his final games in a Manchester City shirt.

The 33-year-old announced he will be leaving the 2023 treble winners in the summer in a statement posted across his social media channels in April after the Manchester City board decided against offering the playmaker a new deal beyond June 30.

Since the confirmation of his departure, De Bruyne has expressed a tint of frustration at the club’s decision and admitted he has taken the collateral fall for for Manchester City’s failure in challenging for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles.

Clubs across the Major League Soccer (MLS) and Saudi Pro League have long held an interest in the Belgium international, who was keen to extend his stay at the Etihad Stadium and has revealed he was left shocked with the club’s decision to not offer him a fresh contract.

Aston Villa are understood to have held internal talks over a swoop for De Bruyne when he becomes a free agent as the Birmingham club look to make a strong finish to their Premier League campaign and push for a top-five finish to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Chelsea are believed to hold an interest in De Bruyne, who signed for the west London side from Genk in 2012, but are not prioritising a move for the 33-year-old despite manager Enzo Maresca keen to add experience to his first-team ranks to push higher up the Premier League table.

It remains to be seen where De Bruyne’s future lies as the current season comes to a close, with the Belgian midfielder keen to stay in Europe whilst holding a preference to move to the United States over Saudi Arabia – keeping his family in mind.

Speaking on De Bruyne’s future in a press conference prior to Manchester City’s goalless draw at St. Mary’s at the weekend, Pep Guardiola was asked whether he’d have a problem should De Bruyne choose to stay on in the Premier League and join one of City’s rivals.

“I don’t know, I want the best for Kevin, for his family – the best,” Guardiola said.

Hugo Viana is set to take over from Txiki Begiristain as director of football and officials at the Etihad Stadium have identified Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White as potent replacements for the outgoing De Bruyne.

De Bruyne has attracted recent interest from the Serie A and after positive feedback on the league and Italy from fellow Belgium nationals Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens, the midfielder is keeping all options open as he assesses offers before making a decision on his future.