Napoli say De Bruyne is going nowhere while his agents look for a way out
Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna says Kevin De Bruyne is part of the project and has no decision to make, days after Italian reports had his representatives sounding out clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Jul 26, 2026
There are two versions of Kevin De Bruyne’s summer doing the rounds, and they do not agree with each other. In one, reported in Italy, his representatives are quietly canvassing clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia for a way out of Napoli after a single season. In the other, delivered in person by Napoli’s sporting director on Thursday, there is nothing to discuss.
What Napoli actually said
Giovanni Manna was asked about the Belgian’s future and did not leave much room in the answer. De Bruyne, he said, is part of the project, has no decision to make, and will report to the coach like everyone else. Manna also addressed the elephant in the room, De Bruyne’s public verdict on Antonio Conte after the manager left, saying he had not appreciated some of the words but that there was no problem.
The contract backs him up. De Bruyne signed a two-year deal when he joined on a free from Manchester City in the summer of 2025, with an option for a third, which leaves Napoli holding the paperwork rather than the player.
Why the exit talk started
Because the first season did not go the way either party wanted. De Bruyne started well, then tore the biceps femoris in his right thigh after Napoli’s win over Inter in October, and lost months to it. He finished with five goals and four assists in 21 appearances across all competitions, which is a respectable return for a player who was barely available and a thin one for a signing of that profile.
Then came the part that actually caused friction. De Bruyne made no secret of what he thought of Conte’s defensive approach, and said openly that he was happy the manager had gone. Conte’s replacement is Massimiliano Allegri, who is not exactly famous for wanting his midfielders to take risks. Manna conceded the two have not even met yet, which is a strange sentence to read in late July.
Where this probably goes
De Bruyne is 35 and on wages that a club rebuilding under a new coach would not mind moving off the books, and there is no shortage of leagues willing to pay a player of his standing to arrive. Saudi clubs have circled before. MLS has been mentioned. Turkey, per the Italian reports, is the newest name in the mix.
None of that is the same as a bid, though, and Napoli have not behaved like a club looking for one. Inter took the title back last season while Napoli settled for a Champions League place, and Allegri has been hired to close that gap rather than dismantle what is there. Unless somebody arrives with an offer worth the disruption, the likeliest outcome is the boring one, where De Bruyne turns up for pre-season, works out whether he can play in an Allegri side, and the question gets asked again in January.