Kevin De Bruyne to Manchester City: Uncertainty over £43m move as De Bruyne commits to Wolfsburg to leave agent 'furious'

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Louise Thomas

Editor

Kevin De Bruyne's proposed move to Manchester City took an unexpected twist on Monday night when he appeared on a stage at an awards ceremony in Germany to confirm he will stay with Wolfsburg, only for his agent to claim he was victim of a "practical joke" and claim that the move is still on.

City looked poised to lodge an official bid for the 24-year-old midfielder, who claimed the Bundesliga’s Player of the Year award last season courtesy of his 10 goals and 20 assists in the German top flight.

Having played 75 minutes for Wolfsburg in their season-opening 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt at the weekend, De Bruyne appeared at the Sport-Bild Awards in Hamburg last night, where he was interviewed on stage and quizzed over his future.

“Yes, I am enjoying the familiar atmosphere in the changing room,” De Bruyne said, but when pressed further on where he would be playing this season, he added: “I, Kevin De Bruyne will definitely play this season at VfL Wolfsburg.”

De Bruyne’s comments appeared to rule out City’s possible £43m move for the former Chelsea midfielder, who has done incredibly well to rebuild his reputation so quickly after a dismal spell at Stamford Bridge. City have been reported to be willing to up their bid to £47m is necessary, but the latest development has raised serious questions over whether that move will actually happen this summer.

However, De Bruyne’s agent Patrick De Koster admitted that he was “furious” with the interview and claimed that while he remains a Wolfsburg player and is happy with the German club, his future remains up in the air with Wolfsburg having the power to accept any bid that arrives from City.

“I am furious by what has happened tonight. Kevin wanted to show respect by attending this event. No decision has been made on Kevin’s future in this transfer window,” he said.

“We have yet to find out if Wolfsburg has reached any agreement with a club. Kevin remains a Wolfsburg player, and is focused on his job at the club. He also remains happy at Wolfsburg.”

Listen to De Koster below...

City have already landed England duo Fabian Delph and Raheem Steling for a combined £57m, and a move for De Bruyne looks sure to take their summer spending beyond the £100m mark. But the path for the Belgium international is far from clear even if they have a bid accepted, with German champions Bayern Munich believed to have offered him the chance to move to the Allianz Arena next season if he wants to join the Bundesliga giants.