Manchester City’s capture of Kevin de Bruyne for a record fee was the cherry on top of a successful transfer window, but it almost didn’t happen.
European giants Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain were both close to wrapping up a deal for the Belgian star before City stole in, according to agent Patrick de Koster.
“We had heard that Bayern took an interest. I then phoned them myself and we were quite fast. But two days later Bayern nevertheless decided not to do it,” De Koster told Belgian TV show De Afspraak.
It is unclear whether Bayern were put off by the transfer fee – thought to be in the region of £55m – or whether their capture of Douglas Costa from Shakhtar meant they were no longer in the market for a player like De Bruyne.
Paris Saint-Germain also expressed an interest, according to De Koster, who notes that the entire process took “several months” to complete.
De Bruyne would have also been Bayern’s record signing, eclipsing the fee they paid Athletic Club for Javi Martinez, while also coming in close to the €65m (then £56m) that PSG paid Napoli for Edinson Cavani.
H/T Sporza.be
