De Bruyne could ask Napoli for a January exit, weeks before MLS's 14-game Sprint Season

Kevin De Bruyne may not wait until summer to leave Napoli. Il Mattino reported Thursday that the Belgian could ask to go in the January window, with Major League Soccer as the destination that tempts him most, and that Napoli would not stand in his way. The timing would line up neatly with MLS, which opens a short 14-game Sprint Season in February before switching to a European-style calendar.

The key is the contract. De Bruyne's deal runs out in June, and Napoli hold a one-year option they do not intend to use, according to the Naples paper, which added that the player knows it. "The club's policy is not to put up walls," Il Mattino wrote, so a request for an early exit "could be satisfied."

The paper gave two reasons. Napoli would save the roughly €6 million in wages still owed through June, and his departure would free a spot on their squad list for January signings. Italian outlets also reported that PSV asked about him and that Everton contacted his camp, according to transfer reporter Nicolò Schira.

His season explains part of it. Il Mattino described his form as full of highs and lows, "talent but also too many pauses," even though coach Massimiliano Allegri rates him highly enough to keep Stanislav Lobotka on the bench and has used him in a new deep playmaking role.

The paper said the pull of MLS is tied to Belgium. De Bruyne does not want to give up his national team place and is aiming for Euro 2028, and a league that keeps him playing every week could suit that plan. He has not sent Napoli any signal yet, Il Mattino added, but the club is ready.

For an MLS club, the calendar matters as much as the name. The Sprint Season runs from February to May, only 14 games, before the league moves to a summer-to-spring schedule. A player who arrives in January would be ready for opening day, while one who waits for a summer free transfer would land after the bridge season is over.

Nothing is agreed, and no MLS club has been named. But the pieces fit: an expiring deal, a club happy to cut wages and an MLS calendar that rewards arriving early. If De Bruyne does ask to leave, January is the one window where moving to the U.S. costs everyone the least.