Kevin De Bruyne has firmly denied attempting to push through an exit from Napoli during the summer transfer window, despite speculation linking the Belgian with a move away from the Serie A club.

The former Manchester City star had previously seemed to suggest he was unhappy in Naples and did not see eye to eye with coach Antonio Conte, who has since been replaced by Massimiliano Allegri. But De Bruyne insists he never sought a way out.

"No, I haven't really spoken to anyone about it," he told reporters. "I just enjoyed my holidays and went straight back to Naples."

Napoli's rocky start

Napoli have made their worst start to a Serie A season in a decade, taking just seven points from their opening five matches. De Bruyne, however, is not overly concerned by the slow beginning.

"We've had a rough start to the season, we've played a lot of strong teams already," he said. "We even had the chance to win it in the final minute against Inter, but we still lost. Those details are the difference between our seven points and the 10 or 11 we might've deserved. We're not doing so well in terms of points, but I think we're doing fine."

Bouncing back from an injury-hit first season

Injury restricted De Bruyne to just 21 games in his first campaign with the club, in which he scored five goals, provided four assists and created 40 chances. This season, the 34-year-old has made six appearances, scoring once and setting up another.