Manchester City may decide against offering Kevin De Bruyne a new contract at the Etihad if his injury woes continue to take hold.
According to Football Insider, Manchester City might be reluctant to give star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne a new contract if the Belgian’s injury problems worsen.
The 32-year-old has been one of the best players at Manchester City ever since he joined the club from Wolfsburg for £54 million in August 2015. He made 49 appearances last term, scoring 10 goals and providing 31 assists during City’s historic treble-winning campaign.
However, he hasn’t featured under Pep Guardiola since the opening day of the current season after he went off injured during the 3-0 win against Burnley. He is also expected to be out until early 2024 after having surgery on a thigh injury.
Despite successive Premier League defeats to Wolves and Arsenal, City are managing to cope in the Belgian playmaker’s absence. The treble winners most recently reclaimed the top spot in the top flight on Saturday as goals from Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland ensured a 2-1 win over Brighton.
But while there is no doubt that De Bruyne’s creative spark has been sorely missed, the midfielder’s days could be numbered at the Etihad, following reports that the club may decide against extending his contract.
De Bruyne’s current deal, which reportedly makes him by far and away the highest earner in the Premier League at £375,000 per week, is due to expire in 2026, and any negotiations to keep him at the Etihad past that point have been put on hold until his return. That means the Belgian international will be in the final year of his deal by the time talks begin.
Football Insider claims that “there are concerns about the increasing number of injury problems De Bruyne is suffering in recent seasons.”
Although De Bruyne is happy at the Etihad and wants to extend his stay with Pep Guardiola’s side, the reigning Premier League champions are in no rush to offer him a contract extension because of his recent injury history. At the veteran age of 32, there are fears that he is past his physical best.
The Belgium international was strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia last summer, but refused the millions in the Middle East to continue playing at the top level. He is still pivotal to boss Guardiola’s plans and, fitness permitting, will remain so.
However, City know the time is coming to make a decision on his future and will want to avoid a similar situation to the one that saw Ilkay Gundogan walk away on a free transfer last summer.
There is still a desire from both parties to hash out a new deal whenever they sit down to discuss fresh terms, while the Sky Blues are also showing a willingness to keep experienced heads around after renewing Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva’s deals recently.
