As a young boy in Belgium, Kevin De Bruyne once shared with a local television reporter that his favorite team was Liverpool and that his favorite player was Michael Owen.
He reiterated this sentiment in 2019 during an interview with Match of the Day magazine.
His family members residing in England were supporters of Liverpool, making it a natural choice for him. Owen, on the other hand, won the Ballon d’Or in 2001 when a young De Bruyne was just 10 years old.
Fast forward to 2025, and he had the chance to join the club he cherished throughout his childhood, which would have marked a significant moment of the summer after departing from Premier League rivals Manchester City as a true legend.
In the end, it did not materialize.
De Bruyne chose to sign with Serie A champions Napoli earlier this month, moving his family to the Amalfi Coast in Italy, and committing to an initial two-year contract until 2027.
There were numerous options available for him to evaluate. As reported by The Athletic, De Bruyne would have “considered” the possibility of joining another Premier League team.
He seemed hesitant to depart from City initially, not being offered a new contract but rather leaving of his own volition, and it is believed he wished to remain in the north west of England, where he has lived since 2015 and where all three of his children were born.
Consequently, there was what has been referred to as a “brief conversation” between De Bruyne’s representatives and Liverpool.
However, with the Premier League champions pursuing Florian Wirtz, the chances of De Bruyne securing a regular starting position were unclear—and the prospect of being a substitute was unappealing.
Given the realistic potential for negotiations to falter in those initial stages, he never truly faced the choice of whether to join the club that has been City’s closest rival for nearly a decade.
De Bruyne aimed to remain in Europe, dismissing Major League Soccer or the Saudi Pro League, with The Athletic noting that clubs such as Juventus and Galatasaray did not present formal offers after expressing preliminary interest.
However, Napoli met the essential criteria, and there is said to be a specific attraction in playing for Antonio Conte, in addition to the opportunity to compete in the Champions League.