San Diego step up De Bruyne chase and Napoli are ready to let him go

San Diego want Kevin De Bruyne in January, and Napoli would not stand in their way.

San Diego's reasons are clear. Their first MLS season fell short of expectations, and they want a world-class signing to lift the club and its image. The move would also suit De Bruyne. He has a long attachment to California, where he usually spends his summer holidays, and he would accept a transfer in the coming window. It opens on Saturday 2 January 2027 and closes at 20:00 CET on Tuesday 2 February.

Napoli's reasons are just as practical, and this is where it starts to matter to us. De Bruyne's contract runs out on 30 June 2027, as do those of Meret and Anguissa. The club does not plan to take up the option to extend it by another season. If a good offer arrives, selling him in January would take a salary of nearly €13m gross off the books straight away and bring in an immediate profit on the sale.

There is also the dressing room. There are said to have been clashes with teammates, on the pitch and off it, and the Belgian has reportedly never fully connected with either the fans or the squad. The most visible case was the night in Porto, when Lucca insulted him. Neither player was fined.

The football cost nobody is counting

The problem is that the club's line until now was different: De Bruyne stays until June at least. If Napoli are now ready to let him go, someone should explain what has changed, and above all who replaces him.

Lobotka will not be back until mid-December. Almost all of Napoli's passing goes through De Bruyne, McTominay and Lobotka himself, and against Lazio De Bruyne started in a five-man midfield. The stated priority for midfield in January is Coulibaly, and Monaco want €50m for him. Anguissa, also out of contract in June, could leave as early as January. Two departures from the same unit in one window is not a balance-sheet exercise. It is a rebuild, carried out mid-season.

That leads to the awkward question. A supporter can see the sense in letting a 35-year-old go when he would leave in June anyway, and the wage savings are real. But this summer the same club built the team around him, and in September the fans voted him Player of the Month on the official app. If he is expendable two months later, the blame does not lie only with the dressing room. It lies with whoever built the squad and whoever failed to make it work.

Napoli are tenth with 15 points after 11 games, equal to the lowest total of the De Laurentiis era, and nine points off the fourth place that Allegri set as his target. From there, losing the most technically gifted player in the squad without a replacement already secured would be a big risk.

For now De Bruyne is with Belgium: Turkey v Belgium on Thursday 12 November, then Belgium v Italy on Sunday 15 November. He then returns to Castel Volturno, the training ground, to prepare for Napoli v Torino at the Maradona on Saturday 21 November at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET). Three days later comes Manchester City v Napoli at the Etihad, against his former club. He will have to start both games for a club that is already negotiating his exit.