Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has not given the most convincing answer on the future of star player Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgium international is one of City’s most important players and up there with the finest footballers in the world at the moment, but Guardiola doesn’t sound totally convinced he’s going to sign a new contract at the Etihad Stadium.
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In fairness, De Bruyne’s current City contract runs until 2023 so there isn’t a great rush, but Guardiola could only tell Sky Sports that he was “pretty sure” the 29-year-old would commit his future, and that he didn’t know much about how negotiations were progressing.
Asked if he was worried about the situation, Guardiola said: “Absolutely not. I’m pretty sure he will stay but at the same time we have to respect the process.
“I don’t know what is going on because I didn’t speak with Txiki (Begiristain, City’s director of football) but he knows how we appreciate him, not just as a football player but as a person, how important he is for the club.
“I’m not worried but at the end it’s his decision. Hopefully it’s going to finish well.”
City fans will be desperate to see De Bruyne staying for the long term, with the former Chelsea man proving a superb signing from Wolfsburg back in 2015 despite having previously struggled to make an impression in the Premier League during a stint at Stamford Bridge as a youngster.
Having suffered the recent exits of club legends like Vincent Kompany and David Silva, it would be another big blow to have to try and replace a player as influential as De Bruyne.