De Bruyne signs for Napoli after leaving Manchester City

Kevin De Bruyne has signed for Napoli as a free agent after being released by Manchester City, the Serie A champions’ president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed on Thursday.

Film mogul De Laurentiis posted a picture of himself shaking hands with De Bruyne on social media with the message “welcome Kevin!”

Belgium midfielder De Bruyne has reportedly signed a two-year deal with an option for a third at Napoli, where he will join up with international teammate Romelu Lukaku and former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay.

The 33-year-old left City at the end of this past season after a trophy-packed decade in Manchester, where under Pepe Guardiola he won six Premier League titles and in 2023 the Champions League.

He has however suffered from a series of physical problems in recent seasons, with two hamstring injuries causing him to miss significant chunks of the last two campaigns.

Napoli have brought in one of Europe’s top midfielders as the Italians try to bolster a squad which next season will defend the Scudetto while also having the extra fixture pressure of the expanded Champions League.

Antonio Conte’s Napoli beat Inter Milan to the Serie A title on the final day of the season, their second league crown in three years.

But they had no European football clogging up their calendar, unlike Inter who got to the Champions League final only to be thumped 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain.