Kevin De Bruyne has announced he will leave Manchester City at the end of this season.
De Bruyne, 33, is out of contract at the end of June and has posted a statement on social media confirming his imminent departure.
In his 31 games this season, of which only 19 have been as a starter, the Belgian has contributed four goals and seven assists.
“Seeing this, you probably realise where this is heading,” De Bruyne wrote. “So I’ll get straight to it and let you all know that these will be my final months as a Manchester City player.
“Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here — and you deserve to hear it from me first.”
De Bruyne joined City from Wolfsburg in 2015 and has helped them win six Premier League titles, as well as their maiden Champions League in 2023.
The Belgium international has made 413 appearances for City, registering 106 goals and 174 assists.
He was twice named Premier League Player of the Season — in 2019-20 and 2021-22 — a feat only matched by three other players in history: Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nemanja Vidic.
Dear Manchester. 💙 pic.twitter.com/2EdhVYOLti
— Kevin De Bruyne (@KevinDeBruyne) April 4, 2025
In 2021, De Bruyne signed a contract extension until June 2025, adding a further two years to his deal which was set to expire in 2023.
After making 49 appearances in the 2022-23 season, De Bruyne has seen less game time in subsequent campaigns, featuring 26 times in 2023-24 and 31 times so far in 2024-25.
Injuries contributed to his limited game time, with the midfielder having undergone hamstring surgery which kept him out for four months of the 2023-24 season. He was also out from September to November in 2024 with an abdomen injury.
De Bruyne has also won two FA Cups and five League Cups during his 10-year spell with City.
What about the Club World Cup?
De Bruyne’s City contract technically ends on June 30, in the middle of the Club World Cup.
The tournament takes place from June 14 to July 13. FIFA has allowed clubs taking part in the tournament to operate in an “exceptional registration window” from June 1-10, subject to the approval of the national association of the club. The standard ‘transfer’ window for registering players opens on July 1.
In December, FIFA placed the onus on clubs to find a resolution for players with expiring contracts, encouraging them “to find an appropriate solution to facilitate the players’ participation.” Teams which compete in leagues which run from late summer to late spring — such as the Premier League and other major European leagues — by and large have players’ contracts which expire on June 30.
Though there will be a pre-tournament squad submission deadline, with some players’ contracts likely to expire during the competition, FIFA said in October that teams “may replace players during a restricted in-competition period from 27 June to 3 July 2025 within a set limit and according to specific limitations”.
Manchester City will take on Wydad AC of Morocco, UAE’s Al Ain and Juventus of Italy.
(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)