Kevin De Bruyne is making Man City’s next major transfer decision clear

Stomping around the RheinEnergieStadion pitch on Saturday evening, just a two-and-a-half hour away from his Belgian birthplace in Drongen, Kevin De Bruyne showed why Manchester City need not make a snap transfer decision.

Justifiable concerns over fitness have seen the playmaker, 33 next week, rotated and rested more recently for both club and country. But his lung-busting run to poke home Belgium’s second against Romania shows there’s still life in the old dog yet.

Speculation over his future has been fuelled by his comments earlier this month regarding a potential switch to Saudi Arabia. “At my age, you have to be open to everything,” admitted the midfielder, who has just 12 months left on his City deal.

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“You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that. If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money.

“Before that I had to play football for 15 years - I may not even reach that amount yet. Then you have to think about what that could mean next. But at the moment I haven’t had to think about that yet.”

Of course, he will garner little sympathy from those who have just seen a 10% rise in Man City season ticket prices for next season amid a cost of living crisis, but the idea that De Bruyne, arguably City’s greatest ever player, might have played his last his last Blues games tugs at the heartstrings.

There is a crossroads on the horizon. He is unforgettable, and his levels will perhaps never be matched, but he is not irreplaceable. Phil Foden - Premier League player of the season - has shown to be more than an ample successor (somebody should tell Gareth Southgate) and is reportedly in line for a new deal. City are already planning for life post-KDB.

But that need not mean City should simply allow him to leave without lengthy persuasion talks over staying. Pep Guardiola admitted earlier this year: “I would love him to stay until the end of his career, but everyone is everyone."

Guardiola has never stepped in the way of a player if he indicated that he wanted to leave and it’s not uncommon for City to allow loyal servants to run down their contract, with Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan being two examples.

His display for Belgium against Romania indicated that City ought to take the same stance with De Bruyne, who is unquestionably still potent.

The captain came close to scoring in two of his previous three second-half shots prior to his goal and has now managed two full 90 minutes in the space of five days - and he will probably do so again in Wednesday’s crunch match with Ukraine.

Romania were well set up, but De Bruyne managed to exploit the backline as the game drew on, and his on-field wisdom played a part in both of Belgium’s goals on the night, moving out wide to drag a defender away in the build-up to the first.

Only centre-back Wout Faes had more touches than De Bruyne, who made three key passes and guided three of his five overall shots on target. It only underlines that the Premier League icon still has so much to give Man City, and they should try to convince him to stay for one final hurrah under Guardiola, whose contract also expires next summer.

Of course, it is down to the player, and if he signals his intent to leave with his eyes widened by the size of Saudi’s cash bag, City may ultimately have to respect his wish. Furthermore, the Pro League may well offer the kind of money City will never get again for a 32-year-old.

But they are allowed to put up a fight and reject any offer they feel is below the player’s market value. After all, he is still under contract. This is a big summer for City, and they ought to keep hold of their prize assets while they are still employees of the club.