Manchester City have delayed new contract talks with their 32-year-old midfield genius Kevin De Bruyne following his injury.
According to a report by Daily Star, Manchester City have decided to postpone talks regarding a new contract with Kevin De Bruyne. The treble winners were keen on extending his stay at the club, but they have decided to delay the talks because of the injury that he suffered at the very start of the new season.
After failing to prove himself at Chelsea, the Belgian international left England to join VfL Wolfsburg in the winter of 2014. He managed to revive himself in Germany because of an impressive debut season. His performances attracted the attention of Manchester City, who brought him back to the Premier League the next summer.
De Bruyne has not looked back since joining Manchester back in 2015. He has gone from strength to strength and has established himself as one of the most important players in the Pep Guardiola team.
The 32-year-old is amongst the best midfielders in world football, and he was crucial to their success last season. He helped them win the treble with 41 goal contributions in 49 outings. De Bruyne registered a total of 31 assists last campaign.
With his contract running out in less than two years’ time, City started considering offering him a new deal that would extend his stay until the summer of 2027. They even got the approval of Guardiola on the matter as the Spanish manager believes that the Belgian midfielder is still a very important part of his squad.
De Bruyne is keen on continuing at the club, and City wanted to initiate talks over a renewal with the player’s agent post that transfer window. But, he suffered an injury in their first Premier League match of the season. The 32-year-old is out with a long-term hamstring problem and will return early next year. As a result, City have decided to delay renewal talks.
While the club are keen on having him in their ranks, they want to ensure that he is fully fit and can continue to deliver on a similar level after returning from injury. As a result, they have put the contract renewal talks on hold. The £375,000-a-week player was all set to be offered the same terms as before, which make him the highest-paid player at the club alongside Erling Haaland.
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see if they can manage to strike a deal with the player prior to next summer. Because if they fail, he will only have 12 months left on his deal and quite a few clubs could end up pushing for his services.
12 years left no renewal required