Amid speculation. Guardiola settles De Bruyne’s departure controversy
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has denied reports linking Kevin De Bruyne to a move away from the club amid speculation that the Belgian midfielder could move to Saudi Arabia.
De Bruyne, whose contract expires in 2025, said last month he did not rule out leaving but Guardiola believes there will be no major changes in the squad before the end of the transfer window on August 30.
The Saudi league clubs signed 97 foreign players last season, and among the names playing in the competition are Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, captain of Al Nasr, and Brazilian striker Neymar, 32, of Al Hilal.
Guardiola told a news conference at North Carolina State University on Monday ahead of the opening game of the U.S. tour against Celtic: “Kevin is not leaving. I’ve been happy with the team for many years. I don’t know what will happen in the market, if someone leaves we will talk about it. But 85-95 percent we will have the same squad.”
“We’ve made an impact on the market (over the years) and every situation is different. I feel comfortable because the quality we have in the team is hard to replace.”
The Spaniard added: “Savinho can play on the wing and when he’s in a one-on-one situation, he’s special. He’s young and it’s necessary to bring in one or two players to keep things good but we can’t change 6 or 7 players. It is impossible and unsustainable. “A lot of players want to come here but we haven’t agreed with the clubs and when they ask for a very high price the deal doesn’t go through.”
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