Napoli sporting director says club can ‘see the finish line' in Kevin De Bruyne talks
Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna says the club can 'see the finish line' in their talks to conclude a deal for Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis said the deal was not yet finalised but added he held positive discussions with De Bruyne and his family on Monday.
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The Belgium international, 33, announced in April he would be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season after 10 years at the club and he has attracted interest from a number of Major League Soccer (MLS) sides.
Speaking at Napoli's open top bus parade as the club celebrated winning the 2024-25 Serie A title, Manna told broadcaster RAI: 'Let's say we've been working on it for a long time, we can see the finish line. We don't want to get anyone's hopes up, but we're working in that direction. We hope to be able to give our fans a new player because the team deserves it too.'
Napoli sold Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris Saint-Germain in January and also had an approach for Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho knocked back that month, and they had prioritised adding creativity to their squad this summer.
The club secured the Serie A title on the final day of the campaign on Friday with victory over Cagliari, their second league title in three seasons.
De Laurentiis added: 'I know he's already checked out a few things… or I even think he's already bought a lovely place. This morning I was on a video call with him, his wife and his nine-year-old boy and it was a lovely sight; a lovely couple, actually a lovely triplet with the nine-year-old boy'
Asked if the deal is done, De Laurentiis replied: 'Not yet. Until it all down on paper, you don't announce something. We're serious people'
De Bruyne made 422 appearances for City following his 2015 move from Wolfsburg, providing 108 goals and 177 assists. He won six Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2023, and City confirmed after his final home game that they were planning to build a statue outside the Etihad to honour his contribution to the club.
Chicago Fire were one of four MLS teams — alongside Inter Miami, NYCFC and D.C. United — to have expressed interest in recruiting De Bruyne following the conclusion of his City contract.
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