De Bruyne sends message as £20.8m Liverpool deal confirmed amid Man City exit
Kevin De Bruyne has broken his silence on a Liverpool deal after announcing his exit from Manchester City.
On 4 April, De Bruyne confirmed that he would be leaving Manchester City when his contract ran out at the end of the season, thus ending his 10-year association with the reigning champions.
The Belgium international later revealed that he is open to a big challenge in Europe, leaving the door open to staying in the Premier League.
This has led to speculation about the 35-year-old joining Liverpool, with his family’s connection to the Anfield outfit cited as a possible reason for such a switch.
De Bruyne breaks silence on Liverpool deal
The news about De Bruyne’s departure has left Manchester City fans devastated. It is fair to say that the Liverpool faithful feared a similar situation with Virgil van Dijk after he entered the final weeks of his contract at Anfield.
However, that was not to be, as the Dutchman put pen to paper on a new two-year contract this week to extend his stay on Merseyside until 2027.
| Matches | Minutes | Goals | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheets | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
| 44 | 3987′ | 4 | 34 | 20 | 5 | 0 |
The centre-back received approaches from other clubs, but ultimately committed his future to the Reds for £400,000 a week (£20.8million a year), according to David Ornstein.
Van Dijk later took to social media to express his delight at extending his association with Liverpool, leaving the likes of Ian Rush delighted.
De Bruyne was also notably among those who reacted to the defender’s announcement.
“Congrats my man”, De Bruyne wrote (17 April) along with a raising hands emoji.
The news also drew a reaction from other Premier League rivals, including Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen and Newcastle’s Sven Botman.
Van Dijk can lure De Bruyne to Anfield
It is worth noting that Van Dijk and De Bruyne share a close relationship despite their rivalries on the pitch, with the players and their families often being spotted together during the off-season.
Therefore, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the Belgian would be interested in swapping Manchester City for Liverpool this summer.
However, it is improbable that the FSG would sanction a move for a 35-year-old even on a free transfer, given their strict transfer policy.
The owners disregarded their stance to allow Jurgen Klopp to sign Thiago Alcantara in 2020 and could perhaps do the same for De Bruyne.