Article body analysed
By YASEEN ZAMAN Published: 00: 14 AEST, 26 May 2025 | Updated: 02: 09 AEST, 26 May 2025 10 View comments Kevin De Bruyne was not named in the starting XI against Fulham in what will be his final game for Manchester City. The Belgian announced last month that he will leave City this summer upon the expiration of his contract, bringing an end to his decade-long stay at the Etihad. Napoli have been touted as his next potential destination and De Bruyne has also been linked with a move to the MLS, with Chicago Fire having the priority option for the star. Also suffering an uncertain future, there was no room at all for Jack Grealish, who was entirely left out of Pep Guardiola's matchday squad for Sunday's crucial trip to west London. The playmaker has featured for just 143 minutes across six appearances in the top-flight since the turn of the year and was not brought off the bench in 11 matches. He was also the last player to leave De Bruyne's farewell party in the week. Grealish was the final member of the first team squad to exit at 1. 35am and, decked out in ripped jeans, squeezed his way past a member of staff. Kevin De Bruyne was benched against Fulham in his final game for Manchester City Jack Grealish was not included in the squad as speculation around his future ramps up The Englishman was last to leave De Bruyne's farewell party in the midweek, exiting at 1. 35am Boss Guardiola has also confirmed a decision will shortly be made over whether Grealish departs the Etihad over the coming weeks. Grealish is expected to have no shortage of potential suitors in that instance despite his lack of minutes in 2025, and time is running out for him to find regular game time as he looks to return to the England fold under Thomas Tuchel. He was not named in Tuchel's latest squad for matches against Andorra and Senegal. The 29-year-old has two years left to run on the lucrative six-year contract he penned after arriving from Villa - but his hefty £300, 000 weekly wage packet may prove a stumbling block for interested clubs eyeing up a swoop this summer. Grealish has endured a staggering reverse in fortune over the course of his City stint, having played a crucial role in their Treble-winning campaign just two seasons ago. The final nail in the coffin appears to have been his FA Cup final snub. With City 1-0 down late on, Guardiola instead turned to untried youngster Claudio Echeverri, 19. Meanwhile, De Bruyne, 33, has explained that he still wants to play football at a high level after leaving City. 'I want to play good football, whatever the decision will be, ' said the midfield maestro when asked last week if he still wants to play in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola is expected to make a decision on Grealish's City future in the next few weeks De Bruyne, 33, will end his decade-long stay at the Etihad this summer as a free agent and has expressed his desire to continue playing at the top level De Bruyne was then asked if he had been in contact with other clubs, with his contract expiring in just a matter of weeks. 'Yeah, of course, ' the City legend responded, smiling and shrugging his shoulders. The reporter continued to press the matter and questioned when fans might learn De Bruyne's decision on his future. Keeping his cards close to his chest, he replied, 'Whenever I'm ready to make one. '
Share what you think
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mail Online.
By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on Mail Online. To do this we will link your Mail Online account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group