De Bruyne – ready to commit long-term future to Manchester City

De Bruyne – ready to commit long-term future to Manchester City

Belgium midfielder is open to contract talks as Premier League champions get ready for appeal over Champions League ban
Kevin De Bruyne is open to extending his contract with Manchester City if the club are successful in overturning their two-year ban from the Champions League.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear City’s appeal against UEFA’s punishment for “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Play rules starting on June 8 with the case listed for three days.

De Bruyne admitted earlier this month that he could consider his future if the two-year ban from European competition was upheld, acknowledging that two seasons out of European football’s biggest competition would be hard to stomach.

But City have consistently insisted to their players that UEFA’s decision will be overturned after an appeal.

The Belgium international has three years remaining on his contract but sources say he would be open to staying for longer as he and his young family are settled in Manchester and with the Premier League champions.

De Bruyne, who joined from Wolfsburg in August 2015 in a club-record £55 million ($67m) deal, signed a five-year contract in January 2018.

As well as making a major impact on the pitch, and with the possibility of overtaking Thierry Henry’s Premier League record of 20 assists in a season when the current campaign restarts from the Covid-19 shutdown, the former Chelsea midfielder has also become a big influence around the first-team squad.

The 28-year-old is a candidate to take over from David Silva as the new club captain when the Spaniard leaves after 10 years at the club. And he has represented the City squad during crisis talks surrounding the impact on the game during the coronavirus outbreak.

Leading clubs across Europe were alerted when De Bruyne said he was waiting to hear the verdict but insists he remains committed to the club.

“I’m just waiting,” he told Belgian outlet HLN. “The club has told us that they are going to appeal and that they are almost 100 per cent sure they are in the right. That’s why I’m waiting to see what will happen.

“I trust my team. Once the statement is made, I will review everything. Two years [without European football] would be a long time. If it is one year I might see.”

While a date for City’s appeal to CAS, which will not be open to the public, has been set, a timeframe cannot be put on how long it will take for the panel to reach a decision.