Kevin De Bruyne has claimed that his move to Chelsea in January 2012 did not work out because he was not a big-money signing.

The Belgian moved to Stamford Bridge for £7m from Genk three years ago, but struggled to make his mark in London and eventually moved on to Wolfsburg, where he developed into a key player for the German outfit.

Manchester City parted with £55m to sign the 24-year-old last summer and De Bruyne has said that players are often picked on reputation, which is why he is now performing to a high standard in the Premier League.

"It makes a huge difference [whether a club paid a lot of money for you]," he told La Derniere Heure. "I would have played more at Chelsea had they paid as much for me as City did. That's the way things work in this business."

De Bruyne has scored five times and registered eight assists in 15 Premier League appearances for Man City this season.