GERMANY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Belgian winger Kevin De Bruyne leaves Chelsea for Wolfsburg

Record ID: 658211

  • Title: GERMANY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Belgian winger Kevin De Bruyne leaves Chelsea for Wolfsburg
  • Date: 19th January 2014
  • Summary: WOLFSBURG, GERMANY (JANUARY 19, 2014) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF VFL WOLFSBURG'S STADIUM - VOLKSWAGEN ARENA VFL WOLFSBURG COACH DIETER HECKING, PLAYER KEVIN DE BRUYNE AND VFL WOLFSBURG MANAGER KLAUS ALLOFS ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE VARIOUS OF HECKING, DE BRUYNE AND ALLOFS POSING WITH WOLFSBURG SHIRT MEDIA HECKING AND DE BRUYNE TAKING SEATS (SOUNDBITE) (German) VFL WOLFSBURG
  • Embargoed: 3rd February 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA1U8HQVGW11DMUWIW6UIH4OS48
  • Story Text: VfL Wolfsburg have completed the signing of talented winger Kevin de Bruyne from Chelsea with the Belgian agreeing to a five-year contract, the Bundesliga club said in Wolfsburg on Sunday (January 19).
    Speaking at a news conference, Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking said the signing of de Bruyne was like a new piece of the puzzle being added to the team.
    "I think this is something which we have missed so far. And like this he will take us a step further with his capabilities. And therefore I am very glad, that it worked out and Kevin is sitting next to me today," Hecking told reporters.
    The 22-year-old De Bruyne, who also had a loan spell at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga last season, trained with his new team for the first time on Saturday (January 18).
    "For me, I am happy. I think for me it was important to now get some stability, it is already my fourth club in two and a half years, so for me it's a good thing to now to sign at the club, where I stay for a while and make good performances not only for one year, but for a couple of years and to grow in a team with nice new project," the Belgian international said of a move reportedly costing around 20 million euros ($27.11 million).
    Neither club released any financial details of the transfer, although Chelsea were keen to recover funds after paying a reported 21 million pounds ($34.53 million) for Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic from Benfica on Wednesday (January 15).
    De Bruyne started the opening Premier League game of the season for Chelsea, a 2-0 home win over Hull City, in August but quickly lost his first-team place and subsequently made only sporadic appearances.
    The move is also likely to ensure more playing time for a player desperate to make the Belgium squad for the World Cup in Brazil later this year although he said the World Cup was not the reason for his move.
    "The World Cup has nothing to do with my choice to come here, I think I have been now five months at Chelsea and I didn't play a lot, so I prefer to now play 30 games and the second round and don't play with Belgium. Imagine, if we don't do so good and we are out in the first round, then you prepare everything to go out in the first round, but I am happy now to play here and I hope to get a good level to also play good with Belgium, we have a very good team."
    De Bruyne is Wolfsburg's second major signing of the season, having brought in Brazilian Luiz Gustavo from Bayern Munich last August.
    "If you can sign players like Luiz Gustavo or Kevin, Kevin also during the winter transfer time, if you are being offered this incredible chance and for interesting conditions, you have take it up. That's what we did," said Wolfsburg's Sporting Director Klaus Allofs.
    Wolfsburg, German champions in 2009, are fifth in the Bundesliga with the season set to resume after the winter break next weekend.
    ($1 = 0.7376 euros, 0.6081 pounds)
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