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Berlin - Wolfsburg admit Manchester City-target Kevin De Bruyne is feeling the strain of the constant transfer speculation surrounding his future amidst a report he will join City before the weekend.
Although he publicly pledged his future to Wolfsburg on Monday, British tabloid The Sun claim De Bruyne is set to jet to Manchester and become a City player in the next 48 hours in a deal worth £50 million after the Premier League giants raised their offer.
But Wolfsburg's director of sport Klaus Allofs denied the paper' claim in a press conference on Thursday, insisting De Bruyne will play against Cologne on Saturday.
"Of course, he'll be there", rather than be visiting Manchester, Allofs insisted.
"It looks like everyone is losing the overview with this story, but we're trying to keep a clear head," he added.
The majority of the questions coach Dieter Hecking and Allofs faced ahead of the Cologne match involved De Bruyne and the City speculation is clearly taking a toll on the midfielder.
"Kevin is a bit tired, because there is so much going on," Hecking told German daily Bild after the Belgian international trained alone on Wednesday.
"It's a situation which is still bothering him and we're trying to keep him in the best condition."
At an awards ceremony on Monday, the 24-year-old said he is "sure" he will stay at Wolfsburg this season and replied "of course" when asked if he will line-up for the defending champions against Bayern Munich in the German Cup at the end of October.
But Wolfsburg face an anxious wait until the transfer window closes on August 31 and Allofs says their sole objective is to keep De Bruyne on their books.
The Belgian was named Germany's player of the season in 2014/15 and has been outstanding for Wolfsburg since signing from Chelsea in January 2014.
