KEVIN DE BRUYNE insists he “doesn’t care” Manchester City failed to sign Lionel Messi.
The Barcelona great, 33, was heavily linked with a transfer to reunite with Pep Guardiola over the summer.
But Messi opted to see out the final year of his contract at the Nou Camp.
De Bruyne, though, is not bothered the sensational transfer did not get over the line as he seeks revenge over Liverpool after last season’s hurt.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, he said: “To be honest I didn’t really think about it. If it could have happened, it would have happened.
“If you can get Messi to your team you are always going to do it. I can see it from a playing perspective and especially as a club.
“Business wise, the amount of sponsors and money it would have attracted would have been huge.
“Even if you would have paid him a load of money, in a certain way you would get it all back. So I could understand the decision (to try) in that respect.”
Pressed on whether he let himself get carried away by the idea of six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi lining up alongside him in sky blue this season, De Bruyne was adamant.
He added: “I really don’t care. I really don’t.
“If he would have come it would have helped us because, for me, he has been the best player of all time.
“But I am never looking at what players may come and what may happen.
“You play with the players you have and I think we have a pretty good team in that respect.
“It would be stupid of me to assume what would happen if a certain player came. It happens in football all the time. People are supposed to come and eventually they don’t.
“I was also pretty occupied at the time anyway…”
Around the same time Manchester City were trying to negotiate a deal to bring the Etihad, De Bruyne was supporting his wife Michele give birth to their third child.
Daughter Suri was born in Manchester – just like the couple’s two sons – and the Belgian maestro insists the family are settled in the north-west.
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And that is one of the reasons the PFA Player of the Year is not planning on leaving anytime soon, especially with the desire to claw back the Premier League crown from Liverpool.
He added: “Mummy and daughter are doing fine and my two sons can’t leave her alone.
“We had her in Manchester. All three were born here. We are very happy here in Manchester.
“We are still in the same house we bought when I came. We renovated it. So my family is happy and my son goes to school for the third year already. Everything is going fine.
“The hunger is there every day, every time. It never moves.
“Last season we had the most goals scored and almost the least conceded but we didn’t win the league, did we?
“In the end we were so far behind because we made so many mistakes at both ends. It can’t happen again.”
