Not participating in the Champions League is a massive setback for Manchester City and it could be hard for Pep Guardiola and company to recover from this. One martyr of this disappointment could be the transfer of Kevin De Bruyne. The future of the Belgian hangs in the balance as he could force a move out of the club.
Sport Bild (as cited by Calciomercato) now reports that the best of the European clubs have been alerted by the impending transfer saga involving De Bruyne, including Juventus. However, Real Madrid are also in contention to bring the playmaker to Spain to bolster Zidane’s squad.
In his first stint in the Premier League with Chelsea, the worth of De Bruyne was not understood by many. In the two years that he spent at the London club, he was given only three opportunities. Soon he was shipped away to Germany where he shone, initially with Bremen and then with Wolfsburg. City were on high alert, and soon he was brought back to England, again donning the blue jersey, but this time of Manchester City’s.
Since then he has not had to look back, being one of the best players of the Premier League. The 28-year-old has so far guided the Manchester team to two Premier League trophies and one FA Cup. De Bruyne has also been adjudged as the Premier League playmaker of the season for 2017-18 season and Manchester City player of the year for 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons, highlighting his importance at the club. So far, the ex-Genk star has scored 31 times in the league for City in 143 appearances.
Kevin De Bruyne has been the main creative force behind his team’s success for the last four seasons in England, and it can be safely said that in these years, hardly has any midfielder been so influential for his team than KDB. Not only has he scored some crucial goals, but he has also produced numerous assists for his teammates.
De Bruyne’s long diagonal balls across the field land exactly where he wants them to land, feeding the likes of Aguero and Jesus. His passing range and dribbling skills have kept the defenders of the oppositions at bay, and in times of need, the Belgian has produced marvellous performances for his team.
Zidane had brought Hazard last season from Chelsea, but the midfielder has not risen to the occasion. The French gaffer has two playmakers in his team, namely Bale and Rodríguez, who are completely unsettled. In this situation, De Bruyne would be a massive coup for the Spanish giants and the manager would like to believe that the two Belgian midfield generals would cause havoc in La Liga next season. It is fair to say that at this moment, KDB would make Los Blancos squad a much better unit, one which could reclaim their authority all over Europe.