London: Kevin de Bruyne’s representatives plan to use Neymar’s eye-watering £32 million-a-year (Dh155 million) deal with Paris St-Germain as a negotiating platform when they sit down with Manchester City for talks over a new contract for the Belgium midfielder. De Bruyne has been in outstanding form for City this season and the club and player are keen to thrash out a new deal more reflective of his standing as one of the world’s best midfielders. The 26-year-old has just under four years left to run on the six-year contract he signed with City when he arrived from Wolfsburg for £55 million in 2015. De Bruyne’s existing deal is worth a basic £6 million a year but it is thought to be worth up to £15.6 million annually once a lucrative bonus scheme is factored in. Yet there is the prospect of De Bruyne standing to double his money at City and securing a deal closer to the £600,000 a week, including bonuses, that Neymar, the world’s most expensive player, earns at PSG. Patrick de Koster, De Bruyne’s agent, admitted Neymar’s salary could be used as a negotiating tool.
“In the coming months, I’ll meet with City to figure out how to improve and extend his contract,” De Koster told Radio CRC in Italy. “His salary? I cannot say. But if you think what Neymar and [Kylian] Mbappe are being paid [at PSG], you can picture ...” De Bruyne, who was involved in all but two of the City goals in last Saturday’s 7-2 defeat of Stoke, is already being touted as a candidate for the leading individual awards this season but De Koster does not believe that is realistic while Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, of Real Madrid, remain on the scene.
“He can’t expect to win the Ballon d’Or at the moment, he’s still far from footballers like Messi and CR7,” De Koster said.
“Everything will depend on how much he can achieve with City, there’s still a big difference now.”
