Highly improbable.
De Bruyne soaked up the acclaim of City’s support at Etihad Stadium after scoring the winning goal against Wolves on 2 May and came out firing in front of the cameras afterwards.
“I have shown I can still play here,” said De Bruyne. “Otherwise I don’t do what I do these last four or five weeks.
“A lot of team-mates have spoken to me, they are sad also that I have to go. It goes like this in life, but the way I am performing is the way I should be.”
The decision to release De Bruyne came from manager Pep Guardiola and technical director Txiki Begiristain, so a significant rethink and U-turn in planning would need to happen for him to stay.
De Bruyne is one of the Premier League’s highest earners and it is unimaginable that City would offer an extension on his current £400,000-a-week terms.
Could he remain in the Premier League by joining another club?
Very few would be able to come close to matching those wages, but reports, external in April said Aston Villa had held internal discussions about a potential move.
“I’m open for anything because I have to look at the whole picture,” De Bruyne has said., external
“I’m looking at sporting reasons, family and everything together and what makes the most sense for me and my family.”
