Kevin De Bruyne has revealed that he has not yet opened talks over a new contract with Manchester City as he enters the final six months of his current deal.
De Bruyne could negotiate a free transfer to a foreign club in January with the 33-year-old's future at the Etihad Stadium in doubt.
He has been linked with clubs in the Saudi Pro League and MLS after a frustrating start to the season, which saw him limited to just eight Premier League starts due to injuries.
The Belgian star was involved in just four goals in the 2024/25 season (two goals, two assists), putting him on course for his least productive season since 2018/19, when he scored two goals and two assists in another season in which he was hit by injuries.
With City sitting fifth in the Premier League and struggling in the Champions League, many pundits have wondered whether an overhaul of their squad is in order, with De Bruyne one of several aging stars linked are brought with a departure.
When asked by The Independent whether he has opened talks on new terms with City, De Bruyne said: “No. Nothing yet.”
Across all competitions, De Bruyne is averaging 0.2 goals, 0.2 assists and 3.11 chances created per 90 minutes this season, with all of these figures being his worst figures in any season since at least 2017/18.
However, his figure of 0.44 expected assists (xA) per 90 minutes is better than he managed in six of his previous nine campaigns at City.
After his season was interrupted by an abdominal injury, De Bruyne returned to City's starting line-up for Sunday's 2-0 win over Leicester City.
City have now lost just one of their last 35 league games with the Belgian in the starting line-up (28 wins, six draws).
De Bruyne now hopes to continue, saying: “I hope to get better now. We have an easier schedule.
“I hope that some training in the coming weeks will get me into a better rhythm. The injury I had took me a while, then I had four games in ten days, which was tough.
“It's a bit of everything. It's not fun, but there's not much you can do about it, just wait. I hope to get better now.”
Pep Guardiola said after Sunday's win at the King Power Stadium that there was no doubt about De Bruyne's importance to his City side.
“I have often said that if Kevin is fit there is no doubt,” Guardiola said.
“He was one of the most impactful players in City and Premier League history, but sometimes in the recent past he hasn't felt well and sometimes he needs physicality to feel good, like everyone else.”
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