Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne said he is eager to face Napoli, the current Serie A champion, after not having received a contract renewal offer do Manchester City,
He also said he joined his compatriot, Romelu Lukaku.
Considered one of the greatest socks in Bruyne’s Premier League history ended a brilliant passage from a decade at City at the end of last season and in June.
“I have been in the Premier League for a long time and in the end I made the decision to leave England,” Bruyne told reporters on Saturday.
“I did what I did and, in the end, I’m a player for the rest of my life. It was also the way everything ended for me I thought: it’s time to find a new challenge.”
“When I had the whole project ahead and the fact that I could play in Italy and still play at a high level was exciting for me.”
Future no Naples
De Bruyne, who turned 34 last month, said she had a lot to learn in Italy, but with Belgian and polyglot teammate Romelu Lukaku by her side, the learning curve looks much less steep as he adapts to Antonio Conte’s team.
“Napoli is already champion, but is still improving their cast … I hope to help the team grow and also learn from them, a new way of playing, a new competition,” said by Bruyne.
Romelu was happy (with the transfer), I talked to him in the (training) selection, he wanted me to go there. I have known Romelu since I was 13, so we are very united. When we played at Chelsea, we lived together for two or three months.
“This makes it a little easier because I know him, because he’s someone who can translate to me and it helps because he knows the coach, he knows the team.”
Napoli begins its campaign in Series A 2025-26 on August 13 with a trip to Sassuolo.
