Inside Kevin De Bruyne’s invite-only farewell party in Manchester as Jack Grealish ‘last to leave’ | OneFootball

Kevin De Bruyne hosted an invite-only farewell party for staff and Manchester City teammates at a restaurant on Wednesday night, it has been revealed.

The 33-year-old is bringing a close to his sensational 10-year stay at the Etihad Stadium next month, after a decision was taken by club officials alongside input from Pep Guardiola to not offer extended and improved terms beyond the end of June.

As such, Kevin De Bruyne and his young family will be free to take on a new opportunity and fresh challenge away from the Premier League, with Serie A giants Napoli and Major League Soccer outfit Chicago Fire on the trail of his signature.

Before that final decision on a new home is made, Manchester City fans have had the opportunity to bid one last farewell to the Belgium international as around 50,000 supporters stayed behind after a 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Tuesday night to celebrate De Bruyne.

Arguably the club’s greatest-ever player, the former Chelsea youngster gave an on-field speech to fans, received signed gifts from his teammates, a lifetime season ticket at the club, and also received news and confirmation of a statue of himself being built outside the stadium.

Now, according to the information of MailSport and on-the-ground photographers in Manchester city centre on Wednesday night, De Bruyne also threw a night out for his Etihad teammates and their loved ones as he prepares to bid farewell to his home of 10 years.

It is revealed that the Belgium international had a restaurant booked to mark the occasion with his long-standing colleagues, as manager Pep Guardiola arrived at the event via a short bike ride from his city centre apartment.

Jack Grealish is said to have been the last to leave the celebrations at around 1:35AM, while De Bruyne himself stayed with his wife until around 1:30AM, and Bernardo Silva alongside his wife were spotted with masks of the Belgian’s face as they left the venue.

Erling Haaland is said to have left the venue just before 1AM via taxi alongside his girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen.

While there is no doubt reason to celebrate given Kevin De Bruyne’s remarkable achievements on the pitch for Manchester City over the last decade, there remains huge work to be done for the club this weekend.

Pep Guardiola and his players know that they must simply avoid defeat on the road against Fulham in order to guarantee a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League via a top-five finish in the Premier League.

The large majority of the squad will then head off on international duty before reconvening at the City Football Academy in June to embark on the first-ever expanded and revamped edition of the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.