Edin Dzeko has sensationally warned Kevin De Bruyne to reject any of advances from Manchester City this summer in order to continue his development as a player.
Manuel Pellegrini is looking to bolster his midfield ahead of the new season and has reportedly earmarked the former Chelsea man as a possible target following a stunning season with German side Wolfsburg last season.
However, any move could now be in doubt following Dzeko’s comments, who would now appear even more unlikely to be at the club come the start of the season in August.
"Top players like Kevin De Bruyne won’t stay at Wolfsburg forever,"Dzeko told Kicker.
"Everybody dreams of one day playing for a leading international club. It was the same with me after we [Wolfsburg] won the league in 2009 – I had the desire to do something different.
"Kevin has an advantage. Through his time at Chelsea he knows the Premier League and knows that it’s completely different.
"A lot of players who excelled in other leagues have had problems here – take Angel Di Maria.
"I’m certain that [he] has what it takes to play for one of the top clubs in Europe but he’s also aware that at these clubs there are 20 top players who always want to be on the pitch.
"Maybe it would also help him if he plays in the Champions League with Wolfsburg this season and takes another step in his development there."
De Bruyne, 24, was one of the stand out performers across Europe’s top five leagues last season, with no player registering more assists than the Belgium international (20).
The former Chelsea midfielder’s performances in the Bundesliga gave him a WhoScored player rating of 7.95 last season, which only Arjen Robben (8.47) could better in Germany’s top-flight.
For more stats on Kevin De Bruyne, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
