‘Nobody knows’ if Man City will keep captain, says Guardiola

Pep Guardiola says he is “the happiest man on this planet” when Kevin De Bruyne shines – but the Manchester City manager cannot say whether the midfielder will stay at the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.

De Bruyne set up Nico O’Reilly’s equaliser and scored City’s final goal in their 3-1 home win over second-tier Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, acting as captain after starting one and remaining an unused substitute for two of their last five Premier League games.

“He’s one of the three-to-five best players in the history of this club, without a doubt,” Guardiola told ITV Sport after the seven-time winners of the competition remained on course to reach the semi-finals for a seventh consecutive season.

“Every time he performs well, I’m the happiest man on this planet, I’m sorry to tell you. He gave many things to the team, to me. He played really, really well today.”

🗣️ “Every time [De Bruyne] performs well I’m the happiest man on this planet.”

Nothing but love for De Bruyne from Pep ❤️ #ITVFootball | #EmiratesFACup | 🎙️ @gabrielclarke05 pic.twitter.com/dhv06bY7Op

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 1, 2025

Kevin De Bruyne contract

Since joining City for a then-club record fee of £54.5 million from Wolfsburg in 2015, De Bruyne has won the Premier League six times, the Champions League once, the FA Cup twice and the EFL Cup five times.

The Belgium playmaker signed his current deal as a two-year extension in 2021 but has struggled with injuries during recent seasons and struggled to recapture his best form in 2024/25.

Guardiola reiterated on Friday that De Bruyne’s future would depend on talks between the 33-year-old and the club, adding after the victory over Argyle that “nobody knows” whether this will be the two-time Premier League player of the season’s final campaign at Etihad Stadium.

KDB 👑🩵 pic.twitter.com/yYMsPNdxH7

— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 1, 2025

Last summer, De Bruyne said he was “open to everything” and spoke of the vast wealth on offer should he join the likes of former team-mate Aymeric Laporte in the Saudi Pro League.

“He’s had problems in the last year-and-a-half, like many players,” Guardiola said earlier this season. “It is about how he is going to perform for us until the end of the season. His age and those things… the club has to think about it.”

Man City FA Cup record

The Spaniard appeared to take a suggestion that the FA Cup is the only trophy City can win this season as an opportunity to defend his side’s record in the competition.

“No team has been [so many] times in a row in the semi-finals,” he pointed out. “We are going to see the draw and what happens.”

Third-placed Nottingham Forest, who host Ipswich Town in the fifth round on Monday (7.30pm), are the only team in a higher league position than City still involved in this season’s FA Cup.

These two 🥰🩵 pic.twitter.com/XlM1IK9T04

— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 1, 2025

When is the FA Cup quarter-final draw 2025?

The draw will take place on Sunday, March 2 after Manchester United, who beat City in the 2023/24 final, attempt to earn a third win over Fulham this season when the Cottagers visit Old Trafford.

That game starts at 4.30pm, so the earliest the draw could potentially take place is around 6.30pm.

All ties from the first round of the competition must be settled on the day, so there could be extra time and penalties if the score remains level, which would push the approximate time of the draw past 7pm.

FA Cup quarter-final draw: TV channel, online live stream

United vs Fulham is being shown by BBC Sport, which means the draw will be screened on BBC One.

Fans can follow the ceremony online and on the move via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, while the Football Association’s online channels will also be carrying coverage.

🩵 L E G E N D 🩵 pic.twitter.com/zvVl9YrOIm

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 1, 2025

FA Cup schedule: Quarter-final dates 2025

Here are the rest of the dates in this season’s competition.

Quarter-finals – weekend of Saturday, March 29
Semi-finals – weekend of Saturday, April 26
Final – Saturday, May 17

FA Cup fifth round fixtures and TV schedule

Sunday, 2 March

Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion (13:45 GMT) – ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player

Manchester United v Fulham (16:30 GMT) – BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Monday, 3 March

Nottingham Forest v Ipswich Town (19:30 GMT) – ITV4 and ITVX

Game. Set. Match.

Haaland tees up De Bruyne to send City through to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup 🏆#ITVFootball | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/DCBaJj9ruQ

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 1, 2025

FA Cup 2024/25 prize money

Here are the figures published by the FA for how much the winners and losers receive at various stages.

Third round – winners £115,000 / losers £25,000
Fourth round – winners £120,000
Fifth round – winners £225,000
Quarter-final – winners £450,000
Semi-final – £1 million / £500,000
Final – £2m / £1m