MANCHESTER CITY DESPERATELY want Belgian attacker Kevin de Bruyne and are offering him a lot of money to return to the Premier League.
According to Ben Lyttleton, the 24-year-old earned 5 million euro with German side Wolfsburg last season.
But City are prepared to quadruple his salary and have tabled a package of 16.2 million euro per year with another €3m possible in bonuses and add-ons.
Reports have speculated that City and Wolfsburg have agreed a fee of £58 million.
Wolfsburg’s director of sport Klaus Allofs spoke of City’s astonishing offer to de Bruyne on Thursday:
“We had to take it seriously. Finally we decided to start negotiations with City. But the deal is not already done. So hopefully we will find an end on Thursday night or Friday morning.”
During Thursday we have gone on with negotiations and we’ve got closer to each other. He’s had an astonishing, astonishing offer from City and we can’t compete with that. I would prefer to keep him, not to get the money. But the money now is really the issue because Kevin was qualified with Wolfsburg for the Champions League and he was a key player and took the next step.”
Should the deal go through, it would represent a major turnaround for de Bruyne who was sold by Chelsea after failing to make any sort of impact on the first team, loaned out to Genk shortly after arriving before spending the following campaign with Werder Bremen.
Wolfsburg swooped to end his dismal time in London and he enjoyed a magnificent season in the Bundesliga last term, scoring fifteen times and assisting on a further 21 goals.
The reported offer is bigger than the 13.7 million euro annual salary that City allegedly agreed with Raheem Sterling when he signed for the club in the summer.
That chance against Spain in the quarter finals in 02- what could have been..
Last 16….? But we should have won that…. A Korea in quarters…. Germany in semi…..
Apologies see your correction now!
Him an Ian Hart never got the ad off Pizza Hut they most definitely deserved. Wish him the best
With Holland and kilbane? Would have been a fairly packed booth!
Very good poacher. Often overlooked and unfairly ridiculed. About 20 of those 41 caps came in the last 5 or 10 minutes of games. Remember his goal v Turkey in a friendly where he ran rings around Alpay
Ya coz a country like ours (without a professional league) should be embarrassed at not reaching the q finals as a minimum.
Better than robbie keane
How does that figure?
He was good… very good imo but not international class
Correction ; The Spain game was in the rounds of 16 – doesn’t have the same ring as the quarter finals does it., still warranted a Joe Duffy welcome in the Phoenix Park which was embarrassing.
He was half decent in fairness, successful spell with feyonord…ah here he was lethal
Only average !
Martin; read my comment properly. I’m referring to the homecoming which was embarrassing- not the teams performance.
Better than Robbie Keane ha ha