COMO, ITALY – MAY 2: Kevin De Bruyne of SSC Napoli watches the Serie A match between Como 1907 and SSC Napoli at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on May 2, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Ruzzani/Getty Images)
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said it was up to Napoli’s next manager to decide what to do with Kevin De Bruyne, who he said was “happy” to see Antonio Conte leave, but warned the Belgian: “There are a lot of footballers in the world.”
De Bruyne joined Napoli on a free transfer last summer after a 10-year spell with Manchester City in the Premier League, and although there was great excitement over the Belgian’s return to Serie A, he suffered a serious hamstring injury in mid-October that kept him out of action until March.
In the end, De Bruyne was only fit enough to play 18 games in Serie A in the 2025-26 season, but even then he was unable to enjoy the style of football that he and his teammates were forced to play under Conte.
Asked in a recent interview if he was “happy” to see Conte leave the club at the end of the 2025-26 season, De Bruyne said: “For me, yes. As far as I’m concerned, he had no obligation to stay. There were promises last summer that we would play, but in the end it didn’t really happen.”
“Of course it was difficult for me because Conte has a completely different view of football than me. To tell you the truth, I never had the opportunity to play in the position I wanted. In any case, I always tried to give my best for the team.”
“We played very defensively. When you try to win every game by one point in a 4-5-1 formation, you play a certain kind of football. At the beginning of the season, we were sitting even deeper.
“Our centre-forward has only scored 10 goals, so you know the statistics are not good…”
What will happen to De Bruyne in the future, and how does De Laurentiis judge it?
De Bruyne’s comments have sparked speculation about his future at Napoli. Conte has now stepped down as manager, and Massimiliano Allegri is set to take over as manager, but Massimiliano Allegri, who is known for his defensive approach, may not like the six-time Premier League champion.
It also remains to be seen whether De Bruyne will face any disciplinary action from his employer, given his destructive comments regarding the departure of Conte, who won Napoli a fourth Serie A title the previous year.
De Laurentiis insisted in a press conference on Thursday that what to do with De Bruyne will be up to Napoli’s next manager, who is widely expected to be Allegri, although De Laurentiis could not be named for legal reasons.
De Laurentiis has not closed the door on De Bruyne, but warns: “If someone has to leave, they will leave too. There are a lot of footballers in the world.”
“They (with De Bruyne) Cristian Stellini, Conte’s assistant) made statements that are either acceptable or unacceptable depending on your point of view,” De Laurentiis said.
“Let’s see what happens when everyone goes back to work. Let’s see what the new manager thinks about it. If someone has to leave, they will leave too. What’s the problem? There are a lot of football players in the world.”
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