Report: Manchester City agree to terms for Wolfsburg's De Bruyne
Premier League side Manchester City have agreed to terms with German side Wolfsburg for Kevin De Bruyne, according to multiple reports.
According to Germany's Bild, Manchester City will reportedly shell out $85 million for the services of the Belgium midfielder, a transfer record involving a Bundesliga player. The report also adds De Bruyne will sign a six-year deal worth $20 million per season (including potential bonuses), pending a medical.
Manchester City themselves are currently declining to comment on the reports. But De Bruyne's agent Patrick de Koster said: "There is no final agreement with Manchester City, maybe there will be tomorrow."
In June, De Bruyne revealed that his agent had been in informal contact with City representatives over a possible move to the Etihad.
De Bruyne's performances for Wolfsburg haven't been up their usual high standards of late and he was again not at his best as the club were held to a 1-1 draw by Cologne on Saturday. The reigning Bundesliga Player of the Year struggled to impose himself in the match due to the uncertainty over his future, with reports claiming they have already struck an agreement over terms with the player.
Wolfsburg director of sport Klaus Allofs feared the uncertainty of De Bruyne's future had a negative influence on the former Chelsea star's performances.
"It's true, of course, that it's having an effect on us," Allofs told Sky Sport Deutschland. "But we must not start to complain. I will not accept that as an excuse. We have got to learn how to deal with these disturbances and this uncertainty."
His coach, Dieter Hecking, admitted last week that the forward had been affected by the ongoing negotiations and sources close to the player have confirmed to Goal that he has in fact been having sleepless nights as he awaits developments.
"Kevin is a bit tired at the moment because there is so much happening around him," Hecking revealed. "He finds himself in a situation that is on his mind all the time, just like it has been over the past few weeks."
In addition to De Bruyne's unease, there was consternation among his camp regarding Wolfsburg's handling of the talks. The club have twice made contract offers to their star man, both of which have fallen well short of expectations -- and what is on offer at the Etihad.
Rumors of renewed interest from Bayern Munich in the past few days have also been seen as an attempt to get Manchester City to up their offer. Manchester United, too, were supposed to have entered the fray but City ultimately won the race, the report adds.
FOXSoccer.com's newswire services contributed to this report.
