He may not be getting much of a sniff at the moment, but letting Kevin de Bruyne leave the club in January could be a move that comes back to haunt west London. The Belgium international showed us what he was about last season on loan at Werder Bremen and in glimpses this time round back at his parent club, but now the Mirror are reporting that he is the target for La Liga side Atletico Madrid.
Last season de Bruyne played in all but one of Bremen’s fixtures and flourished as a result. The string of games and the confidence that was thrown at him saw him claim 11 assists and score 10 goals himself – a solid impact for the youngster in his first full season in the Bundesliga.
He is a player who can play on either wing and is also comfortable in the pocket just behind the centre-forward, which unfortunately for de Bruyne is an area of the Chelsea squad packed with talent.
Still only 22, De Bruyne is a major part of the Belgian set up and is chomping at the bit to get some first team action, and the ball control, the creativity and the willingness to run at players that he holds will stand him in good stead when he is finally unleashed.
Here is a clip of the playmaker in action.