Manchester City have announced the signing of former Chelsea playmaker, Kevin De Bruyne, from Wolfsburg in a deal worth £52 million.
The 24-year-old Belgium star, who spent two years at Stamford Bridge before heading to the Bundesliga in 2014, underwent a medical on Saturday ahead of his big-money move back to the Premier League.
De Bruyne joins the likes of Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Otamendi and Fabian Delph as a new recruit at the Etihad in what has been a big summer of spending for Manchester City.
Speaking to the club’s official site following confirmation of the deal, De Bruyne said: “I want to reach the highest level possible as a player and I think the most important thing is that at the end of the season we can be happy and maybe have some titles.
“I think this is the most important for the Club, the players and for the fans of course.”
City boss, Manuel Pellegrini, also gave his thoughts to the club’s official website on Sunday, praising his new recruit and describing his happiness at getting the deal over the line.
“We are very happy to have added Kevin to our team,” Pellegrini said, adding: “And I have no doubt that he will be a big success on his return to the Premier League.
“It takes a special footballer to improve our squad and I have no doubt that Kevin is certainly one of those – he has all of the mental, physical, tactical and technical attributes required to fit straight in.
“We like to play attractive, attacking football and bringing in a player like De Bruyne will only aid us as we fight on four fronts.”
De Bruyne began his professional club career at Genk in Belgium, impressing for four years before Chelsea came calling in 2012.
During his time in the Belgian Pro League, the playmaker was called up by his country to play for the Under 18, 19 and 21 sides, before making his debut for Belgium’s senior squad in 2010.
In January 2012, De Bruyne signed for Chelsea – then under the stewardship of Andre Villas-Boas – in a deal worth around £7 million, but remained at his previous club until the end of the season.
In the summer of 2012, he moved to west London to begin his time at Chelsea, who had changed managers, bringing in Roberto Di Matteo to replace Villas-Boas.
De Bruyne struggled to work his way into the first-team plans at Stamford Bridge, and was shipped out on loan to Werder Bremen in August 2012, where he set the Bundesliga alight with a number of impressive displays.
By the time he headed back to London, Jose Mourinho was the man in charge, reassuring De Bruyne he had a future at Chelsea despite rumours linking him with a number of clubs around Europe.
In fact, on the opening day of the 2013-14 season, things looked rosy for the Belgium star, as he started and set up a goal for Oscar, slipping seamlessly into the Blues first-team.
Following an hour of football against Manchester United the following week, things went downhill for De Bruyne as his only game-time came fleetingly in cup competitions.
Just five months later, after much speculation, he left Chelsea in a deal worth £18 million to join Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, picking up where he left off in the German league.
In the 2014-15 season, his first and only full campaign in Wolfsburg colours, he scored 16 goals and further increased his value, setting himself up for a big-money move to Manchester City.
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