Will Kevin De Bruyne (34) meet Manchester City as an opponent next season? He suddenly hinted at the possibility of remaining in the Premier League.

Sky Sports reported on the 18th (Korean time) that "De Bruyne does not rule out the possibility of transferring within the Premier League from Manchester City. He says that after losing to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, he is talking with other Premier League clubs, 'maybe', in response to questions about his future."

On the same day, Manchester City lost 0-1 to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final for the 2024-2025 season held at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Despite 23 shots, they were unable to score and bowed their heads in defeat.

With this, Manchester City finished as runners-up in the FA Cup for two consecutive seasons. This marks the first time in eight seasons that Manchester City has finished the season without a trophy since the 2016-2017 season. It is also the second time in his entire career that manager Pep Guardiola has not lifted a trophy.

On the other hand, Crystal Palace made history by winning their first major tournament trophy since being founded in 1905. They had previously only won the English Championship (second division) and League One (third division). In terms of the FA Cup, this is their first victory in its 164-year history since its establishment in 1871. With this victory, Palace will make their debut in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) next season.

This match was also De Bruyne's last final with Manchester City. However, the result was a disappointing loss. He started as a central midfielder and played the full match, but could not prevent the team from finishing as runners-up.

For Manchester City, it is a very disappointing runners-up finish. They recorded high possession throughout the match and pressured the Palace goal, but all attempts were thwarted by Henderson's brilliant saves. Instead, they conceded the opening goal to Eberechi Eze in the 16th minute of the first half and could not recover.

In the end, Manchester City's winless season was confirmed. They are struggling for 4th place in the Premier League and were eliminated in the 4th round of the League Cup. In the UEFA Champions League (UCL), they also faced Real Madrid in the round of 16 playoffs and were eliminated.

This is not a fitting ending for De Bruyne. He is one of the legends that will go down in Premier League history beyond Manchester City. Since joining Manchester City in 2015, De Bruyne has recorded 6 Premier League titles, 1 UEFA Champions League (UCL) title, 2 FA Cup titles, and 5 English Football League Cup (EFL Cup) titles, all under manager Pep Guardiola.

However, the 10-year journey of De Bruyne and Manchester City is now coming to an end. Last month, he announced on social media, "This season will be the last few months as a Manchester City player. It is not easy to write this, but it is a situation that any player eventually has to face. Manchester will be a name that our family will remember forever," indicating he will leave the team as soon as his contract expires.

Moreover, De Bruyne expressed gratitude, stating, "Whether good or bad, the time for farewell has come. Manchester will remain in our family's hearts forever, not just on our passports. This place will always be our home. I cannot express in words how thankful I am to everyone—this city, the club staff, my teammates, friends, and family—for being part of the journey over the past 10 years."

The sudden farewell was a decision by Manchester City. De Bruyne confessed, "I have not received any offers all year, and Manchester City made the decision. I was definitely a bit surprised, but I have to accept it. Honestly, I still believe I can perform at the highest level as I currently do."

De Bruyne's next destination has emerged as Napoli in Italy. According to Italian transfer market expert Gianluca Di Marzio, Giovanni Manna, Napoli's director, has visited Manchester in recent weeks to speak with De Bruyne and received positive feedback. De Bruyne is also open to a transfer to Napoli, and his wife visited Napoli to look for a home.

Italian outlet Tutto Mercato Web also reported that "Aurelio De Laurentiis, president of Napoli, is seeking excellent signings like De Bruyne for manager Antonio Conte. They plan to offer a 2-year contract with an option to extend for one year," adding that "De Bruyne has received significant offers from the United States but wants to stay in the major European leagues, with Napoli being the clear frontrunner among them."

However, it seems that De Bruyne has not yet made up his mind. He has not ruled out the possibility of remaining in the Premier League. According to Sky Sports, after the match against Palace, De Bruyne stated, "I want to play good football. I know there are guesses about where I will go. But when I know, you will know too."

He also mentioned, "It depends on who makes the offer. I have young children and a family. I need to make a decision that is suitable not just for me, but for everyone. If I were 20 years old, it would be an easy decision. But now, it has become a bit more complicated," and when asked if he had already discussed with other clubs, he answered, "Of course."

Additionally, when asked if there was a possibility of transferring to another team in the Premier League, De Bruyne responded, "Maybe?" piquing the interest of other teams. Currently, Aston Villa is reported to be internally discussing the possibility of acquiring De Bruyne.

[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited), Sky Sports, De Bruyne, Backpost UK social media.

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