Kevin De Bruyne Everton links have moved from whispers to something concrete. Everton have made contact with the Napoli playmaker’s representatives to test whether a sensational January return to the Premier League is possible, according to reports in Italy.
CalcioMercato reports that the Toffees have already initiated first contact with De Bruyne’s entourage to assess the “real chances” of bringing the 35-year-old back to England in the winter window. It is the most concrete sign yet that the Belgian’s unhappy Italian adventure could be cut short after just 18 months.
De Bruyne swapped Manchester for Naples as a free agent in the summer of 2025, ending a decade at Manchester City in which he won six Premier League titles and became one of the greatest midfielders the competition has ever seen. But the move has never truly caught fire. He has managed nine goals and six assists in 36 appearances for Napoli, and this season he has four goals and two assists in 15 matches — solid numbers, yet far from the influence he carried at City.
Kevin De Bruyne Everton: what the Italian reports actually say
The CalcioMercato report, carried by SportBible is careful about where things stand. Everton have spoken to the player’s side, not to Napoli, and the Italian club would still have to be convinced to let him go midway through the season. The same report notes Napoli “may decide not to release De Bruyne during the season, postponing any discussions in June”.
That caution matters, because De Bruyne is under contract until June 2027, with Napoli holding an option for a further year. Any January deal would need a fee, or at least Napoli’s blessing, and neither is in place yet.
But there is a second strand to the story. Il Mattino, relayed by Goal, reports that a January exit “wouldn’t be surprising” amid dressing-room tensions between De Bruyne and some of his Napoli team-mates, and describes the 35-year-old’s future as “uncertain” despite Massimiliano Allegri’s efforts to make him feel accommodated in Naples.
Kevin De Bruyne Everton: why Napoli might let him go — and why they might not
The tensions are not new. De Bruyne clashed with Antonio Conte last season, and although his relationship with Allegri is said to be stronger, the friction elsewhere in the dressing room has not gone away. At the weekend, Napoli drew 1-1 with Lazio — the same game in which De Bruyne squandered a clear one-on-one chance to win it before being withdrawn before the final whistle. It was the kind of afternoon that sums up his Napoli spell: present, involved, but not decisive.
Former Napoli striker Roberto Carlos Sosa put it bluntly last month, saying the “spark never really ignited” between De Bruyne and the club. CalcioMercato goes further, describing the Belgian as going through a “mental decline” and suggesting he “could sensationally return to the Premier League in January”.
On the other side of the argument, Napoli are in a title race and De Bruyne remains a player of rare quality. Letting a six-time Premier League winner walk out in January, even one who has not hit his best form, would be a strange call for a club chasing the Scudetto. That is why the Italian reporting stresses that Everton are still only assessing their chances — this is an enquiry, not a negotiation.
What a Kevin De Bruyne Everton move would mean
For Everton, the appeal is obvious. David Moyes’ side are short of creative quality, and De Bruyne’s numbers at City — 108 goals and 177 assists in 422 appearances — speak for a player who changed games for a decade. He sits 43 Premier League assists behind Ryan Giggs’ all-time record, a mark he could still chase if he came back.
There is an irony in the destination. De Bruyne would be returning to Merseyside, but not to the red half. Everton play at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and the Belgian would be swapping the blue of Napoli for the blue of the Toffees. One reunion, though, looks unlikely: Jack Grealish, his old City team-mate, is on loan at Everton and is expected to have that loan cut short in January, just as a De Bruyne move could materialise.
There is also a note of caution from inside the club. Moyes was asked about January plans before the Coventry match and was clear: “No. At the moment, there’s no plans for January, no.” That does not rule out an opportunistic move for a player of De Bruyne’s standing, but it does mean this one should be treated as Everton asking the question rather than Everton closing a deal.
For now, the ball is with Napoli. If they decide a January exit suits everyone, the Premier League could be about to welcome back one of its greats — in the most unexpected colours. For more on the January window, check today’s predictions, and read our report on Arsenal’s interest in Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, Bryan Berlin) — collage by SportsBuddy
