I'd understand if Kevin De Bruyne quit Man City for more money – it's why I left Liverpool

Graeme Souness has drawn parallels to his Liverpool exit and Kevin De Bruyne's potential move away from Manchester City.

De Bruyne has flirted with the idea of joining the Saudi Pro League in the future, acknowledging that the salary on offer is tempting. With his 33rd birthday approaching this month and his contract set to expire next year, the Belgian international's future has become a topic of discussion.

Souness reflected on his own experience when he left Liverpool in 1984 after over six years, making 358 appearances and scoring 56 goals. His transfer to Sampdoria was significantly influenced by the better pay, a fact he openly admitted on the Up Front podcast, reports the Liverpool Echo.

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"I was guilty of leaving for money when I left Liverpool," he confessed. "I said I was going to live in Italy because I'd earn a lot more money - I was very honest about that."

The former midfielder also expressed concern that De Bruyne's injury record, exacerbated by the high-performance levels in the Premier League, could factor into his decision-making too.

"In the case of Kevin De Bruyne, in the past two years he's missed something like 39 games, and it's closer to 50 over three seasons," Souness pointed out, suggesting: "That'll only get worse as well with age and with the physicality of the Premier League.

"There was a black-and-white moment towards the end of my career where I thought, 'I'm [physically] done at this level'. I was 34 playing for Glasgow Rangers, and there was a player called Ian Ferguson who just brushed me aside and took the ball, and I thought, 'Did that just happen?'"

Souness believes De Bruyne is well within his rights to begin slowing down his career, which has seen him win virtually everything there is to win with City.

He added: "I don't hold anything against the likes of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo for what they're doing they've earned their stripes. You look at Messi going to Miami, which is a Latin city and somewhere where his kids and family can grow up and be happy. If De Bruyne were to do the same with Saudi I wouldn't have any complaints."