Speculation surrounding a potential falling-out between Pep Guardiola and Kevin De Bruyne has been a major talking point throughout Manchester City’s season. Now, the iconic midfielder has officially announced that he will leave the club this summer.

De Bruyne, widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever to wear City’s sky-blue shirt, has cemented his status among the Premier League’s all-time greats. The Belgian playmaker boasts an enviable list of honours, including six league titles, five League Cups, two FA Cups, and a Champions League trophy.

However, in what is set to be his final season at the Etihad, De Bruyne’s form has noticeably dipped, with persistent muscle injuries proving to be a recurring issue. Despite generally enjoying a highly successful working relationship with Guardiola—having joined City just a year before the Spaniard’s arrival—whispers of discord began circulating following his brief 11-minute appearance during City’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last December.

This match marked the fourth successive fixture in which De Bruyne had not been included in the starting line-up since his return from injury, managing only 43 minutes of game time across those appearances. On an episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, Gary Lineker speculated on whether a rift was emerging between the pair, as reported by The Mirror.

"De Bruyne came on again with little time remaining when the game was effectively over," noted the Match of the Day host. "Yes, he nearly capitalised on [Virgil] van Dijk’s error to score, but do you think something is going on there? He has been limited to five or ten minutes of playing time for around a month now.

"You would assume he is regaining match fitness, yet both Guardiola and De Bruyne made intriguing comments this week that suggest everything may not be entirely harmonious between them. I don’t know for certain—I have no inside information. Perhaps Micah [Richards], who has close ties to Manchester City, does?"

Former City defender Richards agreed that tensions could exist between Guardiola and his star midfielder. "I think you’re right," Richards replied. "There must be some context to this… it actually dates back to before the international break.

"De Bruyne had been getting minutes, but after the break, he wasn’t starting, and then he continued to be left out. But he is a player who can unlock defences! We all know that De Bruyne needs to be carefully managed… but for a match of this magnitude, I thought [Guardiola] was saving him for this one.

"And then you have the speculation that he might move to Saudi Arabia at the end of the season… it does feel like there is some tension there."

Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville also expressed their concerns, with Carragher commenting: "Something is going on with De Bruyne. There’s clearly an issue between those two."

Meanwhile, Guardiola’s decision to leave De Bruyne out of several starting line-ups was described as "unusual, bizarre, and strange" by Manchester United legend Neville. However, Guardiola, without directly addressing the Sky Sports pundits, dismissed suggestions of a rift.

The City manager attributed De Bruyne’s reduced playing time to careful injury management following a season plagued by fitness struggles. "People say I have a problem with Kevin," Guardiola stated ahead of City’s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

"Do you think I don’t want Kevin to play? That I would deliberately leave out the most gifted player in the final third? That I have a personal issue with him after nine years together?

"He has been absolutely instrumental to our success—one of the greatest players in this club’s history. I am desperate for him to be at his best. But he has been out for five months injured, then another two months sidelined. He is 33 years old. He needs time to regain his top form."

As De Bruyne’s illustrious spell at Manchester City draws to a close, supporters will no doubt savour every remaining opportunity to witness his brilliance on the pitch.