Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed that veteran midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is not leaving the club amid Saudi Pro League transfer speculations. The Belgian international contract with the Cityzens is till the 2025 season.
De Bruyne had said last month that he won’t be ruling out the option of moving to Saudi but the Spaniard has squashed such claims and said there will be not any major changes to his squad before the transfer window closes on August 30.
“Kevin is not going,” Guardiola said at a news conference at North Carolina State University on Monday ahead of their opening U.S. tour match against Celtic.
“I am delighted with the squad for many years. I don’t know what will happen in the market, if someone leaves, we will talk about that.
“But 85-95% we [will] have the same squad. We’ve made an impact in the market [over the years] and every situation is different. I feel comfortable because the quality we have in the squad is difficult to replace.”
Last week, Manchester City signed the services of 20-year-old youngster from Brazil, Savio. Guardiola showered praise on the youngster for his impressive game.
“[Sávio] can play on the wing, and when he is one-v-one, he is devastating,” Guardiola added.
“He is young and to bring in one or two players to keep things fresh, it is necessary but we cannot change six or seven. It is impossible and unsustainable.
“Many players want to come here but we didn’t get agreements from the clubs and when they ask a very high price we don’t do it.”
City begin their Premier League title defence at Chelsea on Aug. 18.
