Galatasaray is seeking to sign a number 10 to replace Dries Mertens and is interested in Kevin De Bruyne, who moved from Manchester City to Napoli in July 2025. De Bruyne is a 34-year-old Belgian international with 121 caps and 37 goals for his country. After the possibility of him leaving Napoli emerged, Galatasaray's management acted. It is reported that an initial meeting occurred via intermediaries.
The player is currently with the Belgian national team for the World Cup and is said to be open to playing for Galatasaray in the Champions League next season. Napoli is considered an obstacle; the club reportedly made a previous transfer involving Osimhen difficult. Galatasaray hopes to acquire De Bruyne for a minimal transfer fee and wants the player's agent to handle the negotiations. The Turkish club is hoping for a mutual contract termination between De Bruyne and Napoli because he is the highest-paid player at the Italian club and they may want to remove his salary from their expenses with one year remaining on his contract. If a mutual contract termination occurs, Galatasaray plans to complete the transfer with a signing bonus and an annual salary.
According to Transfermarkt, De Bruyne has a current market value of €8.00m. He made 18 appearances for Napoli in Serie A last season, scoring 5 goals and providing 2 assists. In addition to Galatasaray, MLS clubs New York City and Chicago Fire have also been recently linked with the midfielder.
