After nearly a decade at Etihad, Kevin De Bruyne's contract with Manchester City will expire at the end of the 2024-2025 season. British media reported in February that the Belgian midfielder was on the radar of the Saudi Pro League in an effort to take the tournament to the next level.
According to sources from journalist Rudy Galetti, Al-Ittihad has agreed to personal terms with De Bruyne . The West Asian team is also negotiating with Man City about a transfer fee for the 33-year-old player, who joined Etihad from Wolfsburg for 55 million pounds in 2015.
Al-Ittihad has appointed former France and Man United defender Laurent Blanc as new coach and has a number of stars in the squad such as N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Fabinho. However, they only ranked 5th in the Saudi Pro League last season despite lavishing money on the transfer market.
Therefore, the addition of De Bruyne will play an important role in Al-Ittihad's plan to compete for the championship. The Belgian midfielder is a world-class star with 9 years of dedication at Etihad.
After 382 appearances for The Citizens, the Belgian scored 102 goals and 170 assists, while winning 15 titles. After the 2023-2024 season, interest from the Saudi Pro League has dominated De Bruyne. The midfielder even admitted last month that it would be difficult to refuse if he received an attractive offer.
"I think when people reach this age, they need to be more open to everything. There are many people who think quite negatively that a contract with a large amount of money will be the end of my career. That could come, but I didn't think it would end that bad.
If I play football in Saudi Arabia for 2 years, I will probably earn a surprisingly large amount of money, more than what I have earned in the past 15 years. And what comes after that? I haven't thought that far" - De Bruyne replied when asked about rumors of moving to the Saudi Pro League.
De Bruyne has seen former teammates Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte move from Man City to Saudi Arabia. In addition, The Citizens goalkeeper Ederson is also being kept an eye on by the Saudi Pro League this summer.
