Manchester City seal signing of Belgium playmaker Kevin De Bruyne
British media reports say the fee is a club record in the region of £54 million
English Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday announced the signing of Belgium playmaker Kevin De Bruyne from German side Wolfsburg on a six-year contract.
City did not disclose how much they had paid for the 24-year-old former Chelsea player, but British media reports said the fee was a club record in the region of £54 million (HK$644 million).
I want to reach the highest level possible as a player and I think the most important thing is that at the end of the season we can be happy and maybe have some titles
De Bruyne said: “I want to reach the highest level possible as a player and I think the most important thing is that at the end of the season we can be happy and maybe have some titles.
“I think this is the most important for the club, the players and for the fans of course.”
The deal eclipses the £49 million that City paid Liverpool to secure Raheem Sterling’s services and smashes the Bundesliga transfer record of 41 million euros (HK$355 million), which Liverpool paid Hoffenheim for Brazil forward Roberto Firmino in July.
It also represents a three-fold increase on the fee of £18 million that Wolfsburg paid Chelsea to sign De Bruyne in January last year.