“I think they’re a bit scared” – Kevin De Bruyne breaks silence on Manchester City exit announcement | OneFootball

Kevin De Bruyne has admitted that his children are ‘a bit scared’ by the prospect of living life away from Manchester beyond this summer, he told a recent interview.

The 33-year-old confirmed earlier this month that there would be no further extension to his expiring Manchester City contract, and as such he will be leaving the Etihad Stadium this summer after a decade at the club.

Pep Guardiola confirmed in a follow-up press conference in light of De Bruyne’s announcement that the decision not to renew the Belgian’s deal was agreed upon and led by the club itself.

That decision comes as numerous reports have centred around a potential rebuild of the first-team squad at Manchester City, with Hugo Viana due to take on the role of sporting director full-time in the summer upon Txiki Begiristain’s exit after 12 seasons in the position.

Before the time for De Bruyne’s emotional exit comes at the end of the campaign, there are due to be many more big performances and moments to come, with a goal and assist provided as part of a 5-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace on show last weekend.

Following a Player of the Match performance against the South London club, and as part of his post-match media duties, Kevin De Bruyne confirmed his firm intention to play on in his career beyond his time at the Etihad Stadium this season.

“It’s been a hard year, having a hernia wasn’t fun, but now I’ve been pain-free for the last six weeks and that’s a massive difference; playing with pain or not,” De Bruyne told reporters from the Etihad Stadium.

“But now I feel free, I’m able to do a lot of training, and I feel I can do a good job. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I want to play on, so we’ll see where I can end up.”

On the specifics of his future plans, where he could end up, and how those close to him feel about the imminent change, the legendary midfielder said, “I don’t know how I’m going to feel; I’ve been here so long, my family has been here for 10 years, my kids were born in Manchester, lived their whole life here.

“It’s going to be something different for them. I think they’re a bit scared, excited, but it’s a bit of an unknown because we don’t know what’s going to happen for the moment.

“But I want to enjoy, play good football like I did today, and for the rest, I’ll be fine. If I can play football and my family is happy, I’m good.”

While concrete offers over a contract proposal for the Belgian midfielder are yet to arrive, recent indications are that MLS side Inter Miami will be the leading club over in the United States in the chase for De Bruyne this summer.

It has been widely confirmed that the Florida-based club have the player’s discovery rights ahead of the summer market, meaning they will have the first opportunity to approach the Manchester City legend over a move.

Clubs in Saudi Arabia are likely to hold De Bruyne at the very top of their wishlist this summer too, while it remains to be seen whether an opportunity to continue in European football or England will arrive.