Kevin de Bruyne reveals why he has put new Man City contract talks on hold

Kevin de Bruyne has put new Manchester City contract talks on hold after injury trouble this season, admitting he doesn’t know if he will still be at the Eithad next term.

The Belgium international has entered the final year of his current deal with an extension briefly discussed in the summer.

De Bruyne missed five months of action last season after hamstring surgery before returning to help his side lift a fourth successive Premier League title.

The 33-year-old has seen his 2024-25 campaign largely derailed by injury so far, starting the first four league games – all City victories – before being sidelined again. What was initially thought to be a minor issue saw him miss the next nine games.

He has returned off the bench in City’s last two outings but has been unable to lift the champions from their current slump with Saturday’s harrowing 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham their fifth loss on the bounce.

With his focus currently on getting back to full fitness, the subject of his club future has taken a back seat.

‘I honestly don’t know,’ De Bruyne told a news conference on Monday when asked about his future.

‘At the start of the season, I knew talks would happen but then the thing [injury] happened against Brentford. It was meant to be a couple of days and then it was eight or nine weeks. I put it all to the side.

‘I had a conversation in the summer, but then I had the injury so I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to talk about that. I need to be back on the pitch and be myself again. There’s no rush, I don’t feel uncomfortable, I’m not worried.’

Last week, Pep Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension with hope de Bruyne will follow suit.

‘It could help,’ De Bruyne said. ‘I know what the future holds, I don’t have to speak to Pep about what is happening in the future, if there would be a new coach, you have to speak.

‘Maybe Pep changes his mind and says thank you Kevin it is time to leave, but I know how he works with the team and the players so that is nothing new to me.

‘Questions will come but I can only give you the answers I give at this time. Talks will come, if no talks come it will be my last year. I just want to play good football.’