Manchester City have completed the signing of Kevin de Bruyne from Wolfsburg, ending months of speculation about the Belgian’s future.
He joins on a six-year deal for the Blues for a club record fee said to be around the £50.8m mark and becomes City’s fourth major signing of the summer, joining up with other new recruits Raheem Sterling from Liverpool, Fabian Delph from Aston Villa and Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia.
The news comes with a huge sigh of relief for everyone connected with City after the transfer saga had culminated over several months since the start of the transfer window. It previously looked like the midfielder would pledge his future to the Bundesliga side for another season; Bayern Munich, PSG and even Manchester United were also sniffing around for his signature; but City had always been favourites to sign him and have finally got their man ahead of some fierce European competition.
De Bruyne returns to England after a previous unsuccessful stint in the country with Chelsea. He joined the Bundesliga looking to reinvigorate his career and he has done just that; topping the Bundesliga’s assists charts last season and scoring his fair share amount of goals in his favourite central attacking midfield position. After a superb season in Germany, he thus attracted interest from the major European sides and has seen his value rise dramatically since his move from Stamford Bridge.
It is uncertain where the Belgian will fit in within a City side already brimming with quality- he is unlikely to displace the impressive David Silva in the ‘number 10’ role, so expect him to swap with Jesus Navas on the right flank; however this is not De Bruyne’s favoured position.
He will wear the No.17 shirt for the club, previously worn by Jack Rodwell.
Let us know your thoughts on this huge signing by commenting, or tweeting us @ReadManCity. How successful do you think Kevin de Bruyne will be at City after all these months of speculation?
