Another season is drifting by for Kevin De Bruyne. And this time, his contract is up.
Manchester City's star playmaker, arguably the greatest in their history, has played football from another plant for much of the 10 years he has been at the club. However, he hasn't been the same since he worked his way back from a hamstring injury sustained in the Champions League final in 2023 and was forced off in his first start back.
That led to a disrupted 2023/24 campaign, and the same has been true this season. An injury that was expected to last a couple of days instead took three months to recover from, and still De Bruyne is rarely featuring for City.
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With a contract that expires at the end of June, both player and club have a big decision to make. Is there a world in which De Bruyne stays at the Etihad beyond this season or do the fans need to get ready for an emotional farewell?
Our writers have their say on which way they're leaning with just three months to go before De Bruyne's time is up.
Simon Bajkowski
It will be tough for any City fan to say goodbye to De Bruyne, but if we're honest it has been tough to watch him this season. Seeing him on the bench so frequently has been difficult enough, but then when he has started he has tended to show why those appearances have been so fleeting.
The Belgian is said to be open to staying at the Etihad as he reaches the end of his playing career, yet if he does it has to be on significantly reduced terms to recognise that he can no longer have the impact that he was once able to. The last time he renewed there was no player in the game who could match his impact, yet times have changed as injuries have caught up with and threatened to consume the star.
De Bruyne undoubtedly would like to prove those sort of comments to be premature, but it does look like he is fighting a losing battle when he is on the pitch at the minute.
If City are to keep him, it has to be with a specific purpose on top of the minutes he can offer and has to come in the context of the wider rebuild that is going on in the summer. Should the Blues make the significant changes needed to the starting lineup and squad to be able to afford to keep De Bruyne, of course it should be explored - but it cannot be simply for sentimental reasons.
On top of anything else, that is not how De Bruyne would want the end of his magnificent time at City to be remembered.
Joe Bray
I think a good comparison is Ilkay Gundogan. Two years ago it felt unthinkable that City wouldn't just offer their captain a two year contract extension when he was single-handedly dragging his side to another Premier League title followed by an FA Cup final brace and then the Champions League trophy in Istanbul.
City took too long to offer that, but here we are coming to the end of what would have been that second year and Gundogan is a shadow of the player he was in 2023. His re-signing made sense, but age has caught up with him quickly and City's previous stance has been proven right in hindsight. They should take a similar level-headed approach to De Bruyne.
And the Belgian is two years older than Gundogan was then. He isn't dictating games anymore and even Belgium took him off this week with the scores level and needing something different to find a winner.
At the start of the season I'd have said a one-year extension on reduced terms made sense - why get rid of someone who has irreplaceable talents? Yet given how this season has gone, maybe it is better for everyone to shake hands, thank the best player to wear sky Blue for his service, and move on before his spell is tarnished in any way.
Tyrone Marshall
I don't think there's any doubt De Bruyne could offer something to the club next season. For me, it is more a case of whether that proves value for money and, even more importantly, whether it is a suitable way for one of the great City careers to come to an end.
The 33-year-old seems content to stay and play some role during a rebuilding period under Guardiola, but the reality it that watching his decline this season hasn't been an enjoyable experience and he is no longer really trusted in the big games that were once made for him. I don't think City fans want to watch him becoming a fading force again next year and I don't think De Bruyne deserves that.
Perhaps he will be happy to stay on significantly reduced terms and there is an argument his experience could be beneficial as Guardiola drastically reduces the average age of the squad, but his performances this year have suggested playing time is likely to continue to be reduced.
Better to say goodbye now, while those golden memories remain so vivid. De Bruyne is a City legend and if not the club's greatest ever player, he is certainly on the podium. This hasn't been the ideal way to say goodbye, but there is little evidence to suggest next season will be any different, so this is the time for all parties to shake hands, celebrate his brilliance and go in a different direction.
