Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

Image Credits: Getty Images

When Kevin De Bruyne announced his departure from Manchester City in April of this year, Liverpool quickly emerged as one of the clubs reportedly interested in the Belgian midfielder.

Rivalries aside, the prospect of getting a player like De Bruyne – even if he is no longer at his absolute peak – excited Liverpool fans.

It would have been a transfer that made a lot of sense as Arne Slot needed to inject creativity in his side after the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the acquisition of Florian Wirtz will go a long way in plugging that gap.

The links between De Bruyne and Liverpool seemed to gain traction primarily due to his well-documented childhood support for the Reds.

Videos surfaced of an 11-year-old De Bruyne at KAA Gent expressing his admiration for Liverpool, particularly striker Michael Owen.

In these childhood interviews, De Bruyne declared: “My favorite club is Liverpool, while my favorite player is Michael Owen.”

The 33-year-old has also mentioned that plenty of his family members are Reds fans.

The speculation intensified when Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claimed that Liverpool had made an offer for De Bruyne – although this report was quickly quashed by English reporters.

However, the Athletic has released a detailed account of how De Bruyne’s exit from Man City materialized, and it’s fair to say that there may have been some truth to the reports.

Sam Lee, the Athletic’s Man City correspondent, has revealed there was direct talks between the Anfield club and De Bruyne, but stresses they were very brief and not concrete:

“Other clubs had shown an interest in the days and weeks after it emerged that De Bruyne would be leaving City.”

“Juventus made a casual enquiry, Inter Miami could not free up space in their squad and there was even a short conversation with Liverpool — but the most concrete proposals involved very different challenges.”

It was clear at the time that De Bruyne was not really an FSG signing, even if he would have arrived on a free transfer.

At 33 years of age, the City legend has had his fair share of injury troubles since their 2022/23 treble season.

His wages would have also disrupted the wage structure on Merseyside, and it’s clear that Liverpool want to find their own De Bruyne-esque player in Florian Wirtz.

Want to get the latest Liverpool news direct to your phone
For more news relating to Manchester City, visit our sister site City Latest Live.