Greg . 1 day ago

Kevin De Bruyne raring to move at Napoli as he prepares for fresh start

Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is raring to move at Serie A champions Napoli after not being offered a contract extension by Manchester City, and said linking up with compatriot Romelu Lukaku was part of the request.

Regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, De Bruyne terminated a glittering decade-long spell at City at the terminate of last season and joined Napoli on a free transfer last month.

"I have been in the Premier League for so long and in the terminate I made the decision to move out of England," De Bruyne told reporters on Saturday.

"I have done what I have done and in the terminate I am a Man City player for life.

It was also with the way that it terminated for me, I thought, it is time to locate a new challenge.

"When I possessed the whole project in front of me and then the fact that I could play in Italy and still play at a high level was exciting for me.

"De Bruyne speaks during his press conferenceAntonio Balasco / Zuma Press / ProfimediaDe Bruyne, who turned 34 last month, said he possessed much to learn in Italy, but with Belgium teammate and polyglot Romelu Lukaku by his side, the learning curve looks far less steep as he adjusts to Antonio Conte's side.

"Napoli already are champions but they are still improving their squad.

.

.

I am hoping that I can assist the team expand and I will also learn from them, a new way of playing, a new competition," De Bruyne said.

"Romelu was happy (over the move), I spoke with him in the national team (camp), he wanted me to join.

I know Romelu since we were 13 years old, so we are really tight together.

When we played in Chelsea we lived together for two or three months.

"It makes it a little snapped easier that I know him because he is somebody who can translate for me and it helps because he knows the coach, he knows the team.

"Napoli start their 2025/26 Serie A campaign on August 13th with a trip to Sassuolo.