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News of Kevin De Bruyne's impending Manchester City departure came as little surprise on Friday as the Belgian midfielder issued a statement confirming he will leave the club as a free agent this summer.

The 33-year-old, who is good friends with Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, has made over 400 appearances for City since joining the club, establishing himself as one of the Premier League's best-ever midfielders in the process, but has struggled with his fitness over the last two seasons.

De Bruyne has won six Premier Leagues, a Champions League, two FA Cups and five League Cups since joining City, and could yet add another FA Cup to his collection before signing off.

The debate over who the Premier League's best-ever player is, is never-ending, but De Bruyne is certainly in the conversation, and one player who wished he had been able to play alongside him is Liverpool's very own Van Dijk.

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Van Dijk and De Bruyne are good friends off the pitch, regularly vacationing together, and back in 2022 the Dutchman had this to say about the Belgian: "Someone that I’ve never played with before but would love at Liverpool is Kevin De Bruyne.

“I think he’s unbelievable.

I think he’s outstanding, good on the ball, pressing, scoring, he’s got everything as a modern-day midfielder and footballer in general.

I think he’s an outstanding player.”

In 2023, De Bruyne returned the praise, describing Van Dijk as a Rolls-Royce.

Thiago is also amazing, but I just think Virgil has got that little bit more."

Van Dijk and De Bruyne's friendship seemingly blossomed out of a shared love for electronic music, and more specifically, Scottish DJ Calvin Harris.

The pair have partied in Ibiza together during each of the last three summers, linking up with Harris on the Balearic island.

While Van Dijk's career at the top level in Europe looks to have a few years left to run, De Bruyne's may well be over after his impending departure from Manchester City was confirmed.

Addressing fans in a letter shared on social media, De Bruyne wrote: “Dear Manchester, seeing this, you probably realize where this is heading.
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