358-appearance Liverpool star admits he left Anfield for 'more money' as Kevin De Bruyne comparison made

Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness has admitted he left Anfield to earn more money in Italy as he discussed Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne’s possible move to the Saudi Pro League this summer.

The Belgian international dropped the bombshell comments earlier in the week that he was open to a move to Saudi Arabia - a transfer that would likely come with a significant pay rise given the wealth of the Middle East league.

Souness was a key part of Liverpool’s most successful era, as he won three European Cups and five league titles between 1977 and 1985. After 358 appearances, with 55 goals and 40 assists, he made the move to Italy with Sampdoria.

“I was guilty of leaving for money when I left Liverpool. I said I was going to live in Italy because I’d earn a lot more money – I was very honest about that,” Souness told the Three Up Front podcast which he co-hosts with Simon Jordan and Troy Deeney.

“In the case of Kevin De Bruyne, in the past two years he’s missed something like 39 games, and it’s closer to 50 over three seasons. That’ll only get worse as well with age and with the physicality of the Premier League. There was a black and white moment towards the end of my career where I thought, ‘I’m [physically] done at this level’ – I was 34 playing for Glasgow Rangers, there was a player called Ian Ferguson who just brushed me aside and took the ball, and I thought, ‘did that just happen?’

“I don’t hold anything against the likes of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo for what they’re doing – they’ve earned their stripes. You look at Messi going to Miami, which is a Latin city and somewhere where his kids and family can grow up and be happy. If De Bruyne were to do the same with Saudi I wouldn’t have any complaints.”

De Bruyne is one of Pep Guardiola’s most important players at Man City and his departure would certainly be seen as a boost for Premier League rivals such as Liverpool, as well as Arsenal. Speaking about a possible move to Saudi Arabia, the 32-year-old said earlier this week: "I still have one year of contract, so I have to think about what can happen. My eldest [child] is now eight years old and knows nothing but England. He also asks how long I will play at City. Once the time comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way.

"At my age, you have to be open to everything. You talk about unbelievable amounts in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that. If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet. Then you have to think about what that could mean next. But at the moment I haven’t had to think about that yet.”