UK Edition
Kevin De Bruyne could double his £6m-a-year Man City wages with new contract
Manchester City will open talks with Kevin De Bruyne over a new contract in the coming weeks that could see the Belgium midfielder almost double his existing £6 million a year wages.
De Bruyne still has four years to run on the six-year contract worth a basic £115,000 a week that he signed with City in 2015 following his £55 million move from Wolfsburg.
But City, 26, want to reward the Belgian with a new deal more reflective of his standing as one of Europe’s most complete midfielders at the same time as ensuring he remains out of the clutches of any potential suitors.
De Bruyne is happy and settled at the Etihad Stadium and is expected to commit to a contract that will catapult his salary beyond the £200,000 a week mark. There have been some preliminary discussions but formal talks have been scheduled in with De Bruyne’s highly regarded agent, Patrick De Koster, and there is a willingness on all sides to make a deal happen quickly.
Pep Guardiola has made De Bruyne the centre-piece of his City side, with the Belgian now operating in a deeper midfield role from where he is asked to dictate the tempo.
The City manager reacted to De Bruyne’s impressive showing in the 4-0 Champions League win away to Feyenoord by hailing him as “one of the best players I’ve ever seen in my life”, which is high praise from a manager who has coached the likes of Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta.
De Bruyne was imperious in City’s 6-0 thrashing of Watford on Saturday and the 5-0 dismantling of Liverpool a week earlier and there are high hopes at the club this season that he can consistently dominate in the biggest games.
De Bruyne himself is determined to keep raising his game. “It makes me happy [to hear what Guardiola said] but the other way is it is also a way of putting pressure on me to do well,” he said. “I have tried to be more consistent since I came here and have had ups and downs but last year and the start this year has been constantly very good for me.
“I'm going with the flow of the team. I feel really good after a good preparation - physically and mentally I'm ready to play and get a lot of confidence from the manager and the teammates around me.
“I've been here more than two years so I feel at home with this team now. It's a good period for me."