Kevin De Bruyne question skipped by Pep Guardiola as Manchester City midfielder sparks contract tension

Pep Guardiola refused to detail the reasons behind Manchester City’s decision against handing Kevin De Bruyne a new contract whilst speaking to the media ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final meeting with Nottingham Forest at Wembley.

All eyes have been on De Bruyne after the 33-year-old sent shock waves across the footballing world earlier this month, announcing that this will be his final season in Manchester City colours, with his current deal expiring on June 30.

The Belgium international has struggled with injuries since the historic 2022-23 campaign – when he played through a hamstring injury in the final two months of the run-in to lead the four-in-a-row Premier League champions to unprecedented glory.

However, there has been discord between De Bruyne and bosses at the Etihad Stadium stemming from the club’s decision against tying down the playmaker to a new contract, which is believed to have left De Bruyne disappointed as has been reflected in his interviews in recent weeks.

De Bruyne is understood to have chosen to speak with reporters in the mixed zone at Goodison Park in the aftermath of Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Everton last week, indicating in many a way he was shocked at the club’s decision to let him go.

It remains to be seen where the Belgian will head as he plans his next venture and following reports that De Bruyne would prefer to not feature for City in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States between June and July, the midfielder has firm eyes on a new chapter for himself and his family.

Guardiola has not got involved in a public back-and-forth with De Bruyne and speaking to the press ahead of Sunday’s trip to Wembley to face Forest in the FA Cup semi-final, reporters pressed the Catalan on De Bruyne’s recent interviews reflecting on contract talks with the club.

However, Guardiola refused to entertain questions over the reasoning behind the scenes in the boardroom amongst club officials and why Manchester City opted against securing the future of their best player for at least a few more years. “I’ve said the reason why,” Guardiola awkwardly said before moving on to the next question.