According to the Manchester Evening News, Kevin De Bruyne has admitted he’s unlikely to participate in this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup with Manchester City, and revealed the club has not yet discussed the matter with him.
City has already informed De Bruyne that they will not offer him a contract extension, meaning he’s expected to leave the club this summer. Despite the FA Cup loss, De Bruyne received a warm farewell from fans at Wembley. The upcoming match against Bournemouth will mark his final appearance at the Etihad, and a farewell ceremony is planned.
Regarding the Club World Cup, De Bruyne expressed serious doubts:
“I think I need to take care of myself first. If I get injured at the Club World Cup, what happens then? No one will take responsibility for my situation. So it’s very likely that I won’t be playing. I don’t know—maybe, maybe not.”
The new Club World Cup will run into July, a time when many players’ contracts are set to expire. FIFA allows short-term contract extensions for such cases, but De Bruyne finds this arrangement highly unreasonable.
He added:
“It makes no sense. When you squeeze a brand-new tournament into the calendar just before players’ contracts end, this is what happens. But I’m just a player—I don’t make the rules.
So in the end, like I said, I might have to make the decision myself. That would be the most logical choice. We can talk about it, but I don’t know what will happen.”