Wolfsburg's De Bruyne jets off to Manchester

Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne jetted off to England on Saturday morning with his club Wolfsburg poised to agree a German record transfer with Premier League giants Manchester City.

De Bruyne sat out Friday's 3-0 win over Schalke which put Wolfsburg top of the league with club bosses about to agree a reported fee of around 74 million euros ($83.64m, £54m) before Germany's transfer window closes at 1800 (1600 GMT) on Monday.

German broadcaster Sport1 showed De Bruyne boarding a private jet at Braunschweig airport, near Wolfsburg, en route to Manchester shortly before 10am local time (0800).

On Friday night, Wolfsburg director of sport Klaus Allofs said there were "only small details" left to finalise in the transfer.

The deal will smash the Bundesliga transfer record of 41 million euros that Liverpool paid Hoffenheim for Brazil striker Roberto Firmino in July.

Reports suggest Wolfsburg could pocket up to 80 million euros, with an extra six million in bonuses, for De Bruyne if the attacking midfielder helps City win this season's Premier League title.

Germany's footballer of the year for 2014/15 helped Wolfsburg win the German Cup last season and finish second to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, as he scored 16 goals and provided 29 assists in all competitions.

The 24-year-old cost Wolfsburg 25 million euros when he joined from Chelsea in January 2014 after a year on loan at fellow German side Werder Bremen in 2012/13.
Source: AFP