Talking Tactics: Why signing Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne would actually undermine Inter Miami’s MLS Cup ambitions

Kevin De Bruyne is leaving Manchester City. The Belgian announced it all pretty unceremoniously in a personal statement: “I’ll get straight to it and let you all know that these will be my final months as a Manchester City player. Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.”

It was a bit snarky, all said. It has since emerged that he wasn’t offered a new contract, and sort of ushered out of the door. To the outsider, this might be a bit unfair. De Bruyne has given a lot to the club over the years. They could, at the very least, feign interest in keeping him. But City need to rebuild, and soccer is a business – and a ruthless one, at that. Thanks for the memories, Kev. Enjoy your testimonial in 10 years.

Enter Inter Miami, who reportedly own his ML discovery rights. As a quick refresher, that means that the club can, in theory, negotiate with him before any other MLS side. That does not mean a deal is done – or even particularly close to being so. Rather, this is a vague expression of interest, a slight flirtation, a wink across the bar.

And this all, in theory, seems like a lot of fun. Bring on the passes. Show us the long-range bangers. Sell the shirts, pack the stands, bring in more fans (and, presumably, snag a few away from the City-group owned NYCFC.) But it would ultimately be an unwise venture, the wrong move for a club that has made all the right noises about smart roster construction.

In short, it would do more harm than good for a club that insists that it really wants to win.