Could Kevin De Bruyne leave Manchester City this summer?

With Manchester City trailing in Saturday’s FA Cup final, Kevin de Bruyne was withdrawn with just over half an hour left to play. The Belgian struggled to make much of an impression on the match and watched from the bench as Manchester United claimed a shock victory over their nearest rivals.

This came amid much speculation about de Bruyne’s future. The midfielder has reportedly spoken to clubs in the Saudi Pro League regarding a summer move with MLS expansion franchise San Diego FC believed to be interested in the 32-year-old. De Bruyne faces a career crossroads.

While Pep Guardiola replaced de Bruyne before the end of Saturday’s FA Cup final, the Belgian has still been an important figure for City this season. The midfielder has contributed six goals and 11 assists in 25 appearances in all competitions and has been missed during his injury spell. Guardiola clearly appreciates de Bruyne.

However, de Bruyne will turn 33 this summer and is in the twilight of his career. Manchester City have a good record of judging when to move on key players – see Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Vincent Kompany – and it could be time for the Premier
premier
The League champions should consider saying goodbye to de Bruyne.

After all, City already have Phil Foden to step into de Bruyne’s position. That transition could have already happened with Foden the biggest driving force behind Manchester City’s Premier League-winning campaign. The England international has been so impressive that he could even be a contender for the Ballon d’Or this year.

On his day, de Bruyne is still one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. He could be the best passer English football has seen even with de Bruyne’s range with the ball at his feet, key to the way Manchester City play. The problem is that the 32-year-old is suffering from a growing number of injuries.

De Bruyne has missed multiple games through injury in each of the last two seasons. Guardiola managed to get City going forward by re-using Julian Alvarez as a No.10 and deploying Foden in a central role. Would Guardiola, however, prefer the money paid to de Bruyne to be reinvested in another area of ​​his squad?

Despite losing to Manchester United on Saturday, City are the dominant force in English football right now and have earned that position through good decisions over a number of years. Some of those decisions have been difficult, and the Etihad Stadium club face another over the future of their biggest player.