Manchester City star may become too expensive for Pep Guardiola
Kevin De Bruyne wants a huge raise from Manchester City
Manchester City are one of the richest clubs in the world, but even they may have some financial limitations. The words of Kevin De Bruyne’s agents should be setting off alarm bells for Pep Guardiola and company.
The talented midfielder’s agent, Patrick De Koster referenced the contracts of two players as potential comparisons for the deal De Bruyne will ask for. Unfortunately for ownership at City, the two deals he referenced were the recent contracts of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. In other words, De Bruyne will be seeking a deal that would pay him somewhere around £32 million per season.
Guardiola has his team firing on all cylinders at the moment and in fairness, De Bruyne is a huge part of his squad’s success. He already has one goal and five assists on the young season. His Whoscored.com player rating average of 8.00 trails only Sergio Aguero in Guardiola’s squad. There’s no question he’s a world-class attacker.
The questions about De Bruyne’s game justifiably come on the other end of the pitch. Chelsea let him go several years ago over concerns about his ability to truly serve as a two-way player. His need to defend has largely been eliminated at City due to the possession-based system Guardiola plays. The Spanish manager’s football philosophy highlights De Bruyne’s talents while minimizing his weaknesses.
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Still, it’s fair to wonder just how effective De Bruyne will be as Manchester City encounter tougher and tougher opponents in Champions League play. At some point, City will come toe-to-toe with an opponent who can match them in terms of possession. It’s reasonable to ask whether or not De Bruyne will become a liability when that occurs.
That looming question could easily cause Guardiola and City to balk at the player’s asking price. They understand just how brilliant he is in attack, but they’ll be very hesitant to pay such a massive wage packet to a one-way player. That may seem to be a harsh description of a player of De Bruyne’s quality, but it rings true to scouts throughout Europe.
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Manchester City fans and officials alike should hope that De Bruyne’s agent is just using Neymar’s contract as a potential starting point for negotiations. If he’s dead set on matching the Brazilian talisman’s deal, he may need to find a new club.