Kevin De Bruyne held ‘talks’ with shock Premier League side before signing with Napoli

He considered joining one of Man City’s biggest rivals

Despite being one of the greatest players in City’s history, Kevin De Bruyne actually grew up as a Liverpool fan. 

In 2019, he told the Match of the Day magazine, “I was a Liverpool fan. My family that live in England were all Liverpool supporters so I was, too.”

According to The Athletic’s Sam Lee, De Bruyne briefly considered the Liverpool move in order to prove a point to his former club — that he could still compete at the top level. However, the lack of a guarantee that he’d be a regular starter caused De Bruyne to look elsewhere. 

All of the last eight Premier League titles have been won by either Manchester City (six) or Liverpool (two), meaning De Bruyne’s potential move could’ve made a huge difference to next season’s race to finish first. 

De Bruyne also discussed his future with MLS outfit Chicago Fire, but the 33-year-old Belgium international ultimately decided that he still had a point to prove in European football so turned down the proposal. 

He eventually landed with reigning Serie A champions Napoli where he’ll link up with another former Premier League midfielder, ex-Man United man Scott McTominay.  

Napoli will be entered in next season’s Champions League draw where they could potentially meet up with De Bruyne’s former club.