Breaking News! De Bruyne leaves City: Is Barça his next destination?

Manchester City learned on Friday of Kevin De Bruyne's decision to leave the club he has belonged to for a decade. As had been rumored in the English press, the 33-year-old player will not continue with the Manchester team, with whom he had a contract until the end of the 2024-25 season. Now, the midfielder is set to continue his career away from England, likely in a league with high financial power.

"These will be my last months as a player for Manchester City. Nothing about this is easy to write, but as footballers, we all know that this day will come. That day has already arrived, and you deserve to hear it from me first," wrote the Belgian in a statement shared through his social media. The player from Drongen arrived in Manchester in the summer of 2015 from Wolfsburg for 75 million euros.

In January 2014, the Germans paid 22 'million' to Chelsea for his transfer, after two years in the 'blue' team where De Bruyne barely played 9 matches with the first team. At City, the '17' established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world, winning six Premier League titles, one Champions League, one Club World Cup, and numerous other trophies with Pep Guardiola's side. So far, he has scored 106 goals and provided 174 assists in 413 official matches wearing the 'sky blue' jersey.

De Bruyne's options for his future: Could Barça sign him?

With that in mind, 'KDB' is already looking for a team, and there are several possible destinations for the Belgian international. Media outlets like 'Sky Sports' report that both the Arab league and Major League Soccer (MLS) will pursue Kevin this summer. For now, Saudi Neom SC and American San Diego FC are the clubs most interested in signing him, with a slight favoritism towards Neom due to the ambitious project the team is building that will promote to the Arab first division next season.

In the case of FC Barcelona, De Bruyne could undoubtedly be a luxury addition that would also come at 'zero cost'. However, four significant factors hinder any Blaugrana interest in the still-captain of Manchester City.

1. His high salary: De Bruyne earns around 25 million euros gross per season, a salary impossible for a Barça still in serious trouble to adjust its salary mass for the 25-26 season.
2. His recent injury history: The Belgian will turn 34 in June and has suffered multiple physical problems in the last two years. Last season, he missed the entire first half of the campaign due to a thigh issue, while in the 24-25 season, he was also out for two months due to a muscle injury.
3. The Gündogan precedent: Barça already tried to sign a 'star' from City as a free agent in 2023 (İlkay Gündogan), a signing that generated high expectations but did not have the expected impact on the team. 
4. Confidence in the current squad: Hansi Flick has built a luxury midfield led by Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, which also includes options like Gavi, Marc Bernal, and Marc Casadó, not to mention Fermín and Dani Olmo himself. Certainly, the team does not have a natural substitute for the Canary player, but there is confidence and calm about the future regarding the ability of the Barça midfielders to keep the team's performance optimal.