'They could': Pundit makes stunning claim that Newcastle United could sign Premier League great on 'pay-as-you-play' basis

All good things must come to an end, and so, at the end of this season, Kevin De Bruyne's ten-year tenure at Manchester City will cease, but as for where the Belgian will go next remains unknown.

A lot of speculation has suggested that De Bruyne will head over the Atlantic and join the MLS; however, just because the 33-year-old is done with Manchester City, it doesn't mean he's done with the Premier League just yet, and Scott Minto believes he could end up at Newcastle United.

Kevin De Bruyne has been one of the best players the Premier League has ever seen with a list of accomplishments as long as my arm, and even at 33, the idea of him going to Newcastle does seem like an outlandish one.

That being said, De Bruyne's reasons for leaving Manchester City are to find a new challenge, not necessarily to wind down before retirement, which is how a move to the MLS or Saudi Pro League would be seen.

Scott Minto believes Kevin De Bruyne could go to Newcastle under certain conditions

TalkSPORT's Alex Crook floated the idea of Kevin De Bruyne moving to Tyneside to Scott Minto, who set forth some conditions that could make the move possible.

“They could, the only thing I would say about Newcastle is that Eddie Howe’s system philosophy is really high intensity and can Kevin De Bruyne deal with that?

“If he’s willing to do a pay-as-you-play, and by that I mean look, here’s 100 grand a week for you and then if you are playing, here’s another 100 grand a week, then perhaps that might sound exciting.

“What an exciting project Newcastle is, but I just feel the way he plays, Eddie Howe wants his Newcastle side to be right at it – high intensity. I’m not sure Kevin De Bruyne and his body could deal with that.”

Would Kevin De Bruyne leave Man City for a Premier League rival?

While we do believe Newcastle are getting to a point where we can attract world-class players - we already have one in Alexander Isak - this move seems unlikely.

Not just for the reasons Minto mentioned, namely whether he can play with the intensity Eddie Howe requires and, of course, the financial aspect, but mostly because after 10 years with Manchester City, would he go to a club that will be a direct rival?

Newcastle are on course to finish ahead of Manchester City this season, so it's not being cocky to call ourselves a rival for City. We don't know who will be topping that table next season, whether it will be us, Man City or some other club entirely. Liverpool tends to like to have a rest after winning the league, so it probably won't be them.

It would be amazing to be able to say that Kevin De Bruyne played for Newcastle, but there's just far too much risk involved. We don't see it happening.