Pep Guardiola has revealed he and Manchester City took the decision to show Kevin de Bruyne the door. De Bruyne, 33, will leave City this summer after 10 trophy-laden years at the Etihad and the Belgian playmaker is the club’s most-decorated player. It is understood De Bruyne was open to staying at City, even though he would have had a reduced role. But Guardiola says he and outgoing director of football Txiki Begiristain decided not to offer him a new contract as the Blues boss continues to rebuild his squad. “The decision has been made for the club, and the club is the club,” said the City boss. “Me, Txiki, and the club, so this is what it is.” Guardiola admits it will be virtually impossible for City to replace Kevin De Bruyne. City will move on because no player is bigger than the club and Guardiola claims he has no-one in his squad with his qualities. “The club has to move forward, move on, and replicating this kind of player is so difficult,” he said. “But yeah, these are the qualities and things we have to find. Of course it’s difficult. People say Erling [Haaland] came to replace Sergio [Aguero], but Sergio was irreplaceable for so many things and it wasn’t just about the goals. “Sergio gave something that is unique and Erling will be unique. Sergio scored to create the most-important moment in the club’s history, that goal in that moment, everybody knows, QPR . “Some things can’t be substituted, they are so important. I would love to be eternal here and Sergio and now Kevin, but it’s not possible. “In England or in every country, there are players who are unique, that represent what the club want to be and Kevin is one of them. Now it’s a bit of a shock for the fans, but people remember how blessed, how happy they were for many, many years to have a player who gave absolutely everything. “Always Kevin will be there in my memory and he cannot be forgotten." De Bruyne announced the news on Friday afternoon and had subtly hinted that the decision was taken out of his hands, saying: "Whether we like it or not, it's time to say goodbye." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.