Official: Kevin De Bruyne Joins Napoli After Leaving Manchester City

Film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis shared a photo on social media of himself shaking hands with Kevin De Bruyne, captioning it simply: “Welcome Kevin!”

The Belgian midfielder is reportedly set to sign a two-year contract with Napoli, which includes an option for a third year. He’ll be linking up with fellow Belgian international Romelu Lukaku and ex-Manchester United player Scott McTominay at the Italian club.

The 33-year-old parted ways with Manchester City at the end of the season, wrapping up a glittering decade with the club during his time under Pep Guardiola, De Bruyne helped City win six Premier League titles and lifted the Champions League trophy in 2023; however, injuries have taken a toll in recent years, two hamstring issues, in particular, have sidelined him for large portions of the last two seasons.

Now Napoli has secured one of Europe’s elite midfielders as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of a demanding campaign. The Italian champions will be defending their Serie A title while also dealing with the added challenge of an expanded Champions League schedule.

Antonio Conte’s Napoli clinched the Serie A title on the final day of the season, marking their second league triumph in three years, crucially, they had the advantage of a lighter schedule with no European competitions to contend with, unlike Inter Milan who made it to the Champions League final, only to suffer a heavy 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.