According to the British newspaper Sunsport, manager Antonio Conte consulted De Bruyne about Grealish and received positive feedback from the Belgian midfielder. De Bruyne hopes this will encourage Napoli to pursue his former Man City teammate.

Several sources indicate that Man City is considering loan offers if no team wants to buy Grealish. The English midfielder has two years remaining on his contract with a weekly salary of approximately 400,000 USD, totaling over 21 million USD annually. The Telegraph reports that Napoli wants Man City to cover half of Grealish's salary for a loan deal.

Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, and Phil Foden (from left to right) chat before Man City's match against Urawa Reds in the Club World Cup semi-final at King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 19/12/2023. Photo: *AP*

Grealish joined Man City in the summer of 2021 for a then-record British transfer fee of approximately 139 million USD. The 29-year-old midfielder played a key role in the team's treble-winning 2022-2023 season. However, he lost his starting position in the last two seasons, starting only 7 Premier League games in 2024-2025, with one goal and one assist.

This summer, Grealish was left out of Man City's 27-man squad for the FIFA Club World Cup. Manager Pep Guardiola also publicly encouraged him to find a new club.

Grealish likely needs to leave Man City to secure regular playing time and compete for a spot in the England squad for the 2026 World Cup. Manager Thomas Tuchel did not call up Grealish for the last two international breaks.

Napoli is actively searching for a winger to replace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who moved to PSG for 72 million USD in January 2025. In the latter half of last season, Napoli loaned Noah Okafor from Milan with an option to buy. However, the Swiss international did not make a significant impact and will return to Milan this summer.

In addition to Grealish, Napoli is also targeting Alejandro Garnacho, an Argentinian player who appears to have no future at Man Utd. According to Football Italy, their backup options are Dan Ndoye (Bologna), Federico Chiesa (Liverpool), and Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).

Napoli President De Laurentiis announced De Bruyne's signing with this handshake photo posted on his X account. Photo: *X/ADeLaurentiis*

De Bruyne joined Napoli on a free transfer this summer after 10 successful seasons with Man City. He reportedly received attractive offers from MLS and Saudi Arabia but chose to join the Armando Diego Maradona Stadium, citing his preference for the combination of Serie A football and the Neapolitan lifestyle.

"The Serie A champions from last season are ambitious, and I hope I can help the team achieve its ambitions," the 33-year-old midfielder expressed.

Compiled by Hong Duy