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De Bruyne ultimately decided to join Serie A champions Napoli as a free agent

Fresh start: Kevin De Bruyne joined Napoli as a free agent

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Matt Verri2 minutes ago

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Kevin De Bruyne held talks about a surprise move to Liverpool before opting to sign for Napoli this summer.

The midfielder’s decade-long stay at Manchester City has come to an end, with De Bruyne opting against featuring at the Club World due to fears of risking an injury.

The 33-year-old has left City as a free agent to join the Serie A champions, joining up with Belgium team-mate Romelu Lukaku.

However, there had been some doubt over where De Bruyne would end up, with Inter Miami initially raised as a possibility as well as a number of clubs in Saudi Arabia.

The Athletic report that even Liverpool had a conversation with De Bruyne over a shock switch to Anfield.

The Belgian spent much of his time in England challenging with Liverpool at the top of the table and it is uncertain whether he would have agreed to join City’s rivals.

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However, it’s suggested that talks were held between Liverpool and De Bruyne’s camp, but those did not materialise into anything serious.

Liverpool were at that point already lining up a move for Florian Wirtz, who they have now signed in a £116m deal.

They were also considering Rayan Cherki, since signed by City from Lyon as they look to fill the void left by De Bruyne.

Reports claim that De Bruyne did not have any interest in a squad role and so Liverpool were unlikely to be an appealing option.

Mohamed Salah is one man who would have been keen to see De Bruyne make the short trip from Manchester to Liverpool.

Before the midfielder’s move to Napoli was made official, Salah joked that Liverpool were keeping room for him in the squad.

“He’s done a phenomenal job at City, and he was great for the league,” the Liverpool star said.

“I really wish him the best…and we have a space for him!”

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