Letting Kevin De Bruyne leave has opened up a big opportunity for Manchester City | OneFootball

Kevin De Bruyne will leave Manchester City at the end of this season. As a player De Bruyne cannot be replaced. He is a once-in-a-generation player and what he brings to Pep Guardiola’s squad cannot be replicated. Whoever City sign in the summer to fill the void left by De Bruyne’s departure needs to be left to be their own player. But what De Bruyne’s departure does for Manchester City is open up a big selling point in the summer. That is one positive to take from the sad news that is the impending departure of a club legend.

A new report from Belgium publication De Standaard indicates that Kevin De Bruyne expected to remain at Manchester City for next season. It is further reported that De Bruyne now has a ‘clouded relationship’ with the club. De Standaard further reports that De Bruyne hasn’t yet made a decision on his future. Furthermore, the De Standaard report adds that salary, standard of living and sporting level will dictate De Bruyne’s next move.

There is no doubt that Kevin De Bruyne’s impending departure is sad news for Manchester City. He has given everything to the cause and will leave the club as a legend. But looking at Manchester City’s decision to let him depart at the end of the season it is a brutal move. In effect, the club have decided that they need to move on from De Bruyne. But the decision to let De Bruyne leave does give City a massive selling point to prospective new signings this summer.

Manchester City can now offer the opportunity to play in De Bruyne’s role going forward.

It is a big selling point for prospective signings that City can offer De Bruyne’s role to the players they target to add creativity to midfield. Kevin De Bruyne’s wages will be off Manchester City’s books and that money could potentially be offered to Florian Wirtz or Xavi Simons for example. But more importantly, City can now offer a defined role to those type of players. In a race to sign those type of players that may be a crucial factor in summer transfer negotiations.

The decision to let Kevin De Bruyne depart the club was a bold move by Manchester City. It is one that is tinged with sadness given the significance of De Bruyne as a City player. But the decision to let him leave does open up opportunities for the club. It’s now on the City hierarchy to land a quality creative midfielder so they take advantage of the situation their decision to let De Bruyne depart at season’s end has created.