Kevin De Bruyne can still dominate in the Premier League - English clubs should be queuing up to stop the Belgian leaving for MLS

Johan Cruyff felt a huge sense of anger when Ajax rejected his salary demands in 1983 and opted against offering him a new contract. He explained in his autobiography My Turn: "Ajax was still my team, but the people running it refused to go along with me. I heard they were saying I was too old and too fat and still putting on weight. I had to deal with all their objections. And they also demanded that I should be satisfied with a normal salary and of course, I wasn’t."

Cruyff got his revenge in the most spectacular fashion, by joining hated enemies Feyenoord and inspiring them to the Eredivisie title at the age of 37. Luis Suarez also felt betrayed when Barcelona told him they wanted him to leave in 2020, reducing him to tears. He joined Atletico Madrid, much to the horror of his former employers, who had forgotten to include Diego Simeone's side on a list of clubs he was not allowed to join as part of the terms of his exit.

Suarez proved to be the talisman as Atletico pipped Barca to the league title, scoring 21 times across the season including winners in the last two matches against Osasuna and Real Valladolid. And moments after clinching the title on the final day he had Barcelona's snub fairly on his mind when he said: "It was tough, the situation I had to live through, the way I was looked down on. But Atletico opened the door to me."

De Bruyne has been experiencing similar emotions to Cruyff and Suarez since his departure from City at the end of this season was confirmed. The Belgian's exit was far from a surprise given he was in the final months of his contract and had struggled with a hernia problem this season after tearing his hamstring twice in 2023.

And at first it sounded like an amicable departure when the Belgian released an emotional statement announcing he was leaving after 10 trophy-laden years and Pep Guardiola said he would "bet a lot of money" that the club would build a statue in his honour. But then it became clear that the feeling was not mutual after all.

First, Guardiola revealed that he and sporting director Txiki Begiristain had taken the decision and told De Bruyne he had to leave. The coach effectively said that De Bruyne was worn out physically and emotionally after the injuries. He said: "It was not easy for me to tell him he won’t continue. The last year and a half, he was out injured because he gave everything for the club. Everything he had in his body and his mind, he’s done it, so there’s no doubt about it."

Since then, De Bruyne has given many bluntly honest interviews in which he has explained how much he disagreed with the club's decision and how much it had upset him.

In his first media appearance since the announcement, after inspiring City to a 5-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace, he admitted he would consider offers from other Premier League clubs as he believed he was still good enough to play in England's top division. Then after the win at Everton he revealed how he really felt about being asked to leave City.

He said: "Obviously, I was a bit surprised but I have to accept it. Honestly, I still think I can perform at this level like I'm showing but I understand that clubs have to make decisions. It was half a week till I reported it out and it wasn't nice. I know I'm not 25 anymore, but I still feel like I can do my job."

He also seemed to suggest he had been one of the fall guys for the team's struggles in their worst season in nine years under Guardiola. "Maybe if the team didn't struggle and I came back like I did this year and bedded in like normal then maybe they would take another decision," he added. "I don't know - they told me what the decision was and I can't really say what they think on the inside. I don't feel like I want to share (the details) because it's basically more business-wise for them and they made a decision based on that. I still think that I'm in good shape, I've played way more than I did last year except the hernia. I feel good and the rhythm is coming. I have to accept the situation even though I feel like I can still do a good job but that's it."

De Bruyne continued to air his grievances with the club after scoring the only goal in their narrow win over Wolves last week, declaring: "A lot of team-mates have said that it's sad I have to go too but that's just how it goes sometimes in life." And Jeremy Doku backed his statement up by saying: "Obviously it’s very sad and I do think he still has the qualities to play here and he showed it again."

De Bruyne's recent actions have spoken as loud as his words and Premier League clubs would be mad not to try and get him to join their ranks on a free transfer, even if it is just for two more seasons. Despite his injury problems and the fact he has played the 12th-highest number of minutes for City in the Premier League, De Bruyne is still the team's second-biggest goal contributor in the league behind Erling Haaland, with four goals and seven assists.

And while Guardiola cited De Bruyne's injury problems as the main reason he had to let him go, the player was right to point out that he is looking like his old self since overcoming the hernia issue which plagued him between September and December. He has been at the heart of City's run of four consecutive wins which has put them at the front of the race to finish in the top five and qualify for the Champions League.

The playmaker was at his very best in the win over Palace: scoring with a free-kick; setting up a goal for Mateo Kovacic; bothering the woodwork and propelling City forward at every turn. He was the highest-rated player in the crucial win over fellow top-five chasers Aston Villa and he then made the difference against Wolves, a game that was far from straightforward for Guardiola's side.

Just as he did last season when he dragged City to the title after recovering from hamstring surgery and contributed to 23 goals in half a campaign, De Bruyne has proved that he is still an incredible player when he is fit. Any club looking to take him on would be rightly concerned about his injury record, having torn his hamstring in the 2023 Champions League final and on the first day of the following season, as well as his recent hernia issue. But if he is managed correctly, he could be a remarkable asset to any team aspiring to finish in the top four or even to win the Premier League title.

Given his competitive nature, De Bruyne will want to keep playing in the Champions League and he will still be able to make the difference in Europe's top competition if used wisely. Last year he railed against the congested schedule amid fears about burnout from the Club World Cup, complaining "FIFA and UEFA keep adding matches" and protesting "money speaks louder than the players".

De Bruyne is unlikely to play at the rebooted international club tournament now he is leaving City, which means he will get a much-needed break this summer, which should serve him well for the next campaign and allow him to prolong his career at the elite level.

De Bruyne declared "I'm a competitive animal" after his virtuoso display against Palace and he still belongs in Europe's top-five leagues. And when he chooses his next destination he needs to prioritise a project which can sate his competitive appetite over his desire to have one last big pay day.

He discussed the possibility of moving to Saudi Arabia last year and the financial benefits of doing so, but he said: "Look, I have more than enough money. I know that well enough. If a silly amount is offered later, then that’s not for me. That’s for all my family, my friends, my children, my great-grandchildren, my children’s neighbours."

Following Lionel Messi to MLS might seem like the perfect compromise between earning a huge salary and keeping his family happy, but would it make him happy? For all of the progress the league has made in the last few years with new franchises and marquee arrivals like Messi and Suarez, it can never compete with the creme-de-la-creme of European football. De Bruyne would also have to get used to the long plane journeys that come with most away games, something Thierry Henry found hard to acclimatise to when he played for New York Red Bulls.

Napoli, who have reportedly joined Liverpool in making their interest in De Bruyne known, would be a tempting destination for him, allowing him the chance to fight for a top title and in front of one of the most passionate fanbases on the continent (and to keep playing in a light blue shirt). Seeing how Scott McTominay has thrived at the Stadio Diego Maradona, just imagine how much fanfare would greet De Bruyne if he made the same move.

But the Premier League remains the most popular league in the world and the most competitive and there is still plenty of room there for De Bruyne. Staying in England would allow him to catch Giggs as the top assist-provider in the league's history (he is currently 43 behind the Manchester United icon), although De Bruyne has said he does not value individual records. What he lives for is competing every day and winning matches. He still has the drive and now he has a new incentive: to show City how wrong they were to write him off.

Liverpool, then, should not be the only ones trying to land De Bruyne. He could help Arsenal take the final step in their bid to regain the title and add some attacking might to their imperious defence. He could help Newcastle climb another level towards the elite and also prove handy to Aston Villa's hopes of consolidating their surge into the top end of the table. And what about Chelsea, the club where he began his journey in England many years ago? De Bruyne could be the guiding force that makes that extremely talented but often rudderless squad finally tick.

In other words, the MLS can wait. De Bruyne still has plenty of work to do in the Premier League and the top sides have a golden opportunity to swipe City's greatest asset of the last decade and turn him against them.