Soccer-De Bruyne embracing fresh start at Napoli after Man City departure
(Reuters) -Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is raring to go at Serie A champions Napoli after not being offered a contract extension by Manchester City, and said linking up with compatriot Romelu Lukaku was part of the appeal.
Regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, De Bruyne ended a glittering decade-long spell at City at the end of last season and joined Napoli on a free transfer last month.
"I have been in the Premier League for so long and in the end I made the decision to go out of England," De Bruyne told reporters on Saturday.
"I have done what I have done and in the end I am a Man City player for life. It was also with the way that it ended for me, I thought, it is time to find a new challenge.
"When I had the whole project in front of me and then the fact that I could play in Italy and still play at a high level was exciting for me."
De Bruyne, who turned 34 last month, said he had much to learn in Italy, but with Belgium teammate and polyglot Romelu Lukaku by his side, the learning curve looks far less steep as he adjusts to Antonio Conte's side.
"Napoli already are champions but they are still improving their squad... I am hoping that I can help the team grow and I will also learn from them, a new way of playing, a new competition," De Bruyne said.
"Romelu was happy (about the move), I spoke with him in the national team (camp), he wanted me to join. I know Romelu since we were 13-years-old, so we are really tight together. When we played in Chelsea we lived together for two or three months.
"It makes it a little bit easier that I know him because he is somebody who can translate for me and it helps because he knows the coach, he knows the team."
Napoli begin their 2025–26 Serie A campaign on August 13 with a trip to Sassuolo.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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