Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne admits he is “open to everything” and refuses to rule out moving to the Saudi Pro League in the near future.
Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has refused to rule out moving to the Saudi Pro League in the near future.
The 32-year-old is the longest-serving player within Pep Guardiola‘s current first-team squad having spent the last nine seasons at the Etihad Stadium.
De Bruyne has recorded 102 goals and 170 assists in 382 appearances for Man City across all competitions and has won a total of 16 trophies, including six Premier League titles and one Champions League.
The Belgium international is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football, but speculation over his future at Man City is rife as he will soon be entering the final year of his contract.
De Bruyne, who turns 33 at the end of this month, has been tipped to make a lucrative move to either the Middle East or MLS since the turn of the year.
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A recent report claims that future MLS club San Diego have held talks with De Bruyne’s entourage over a proposed switch to the USA, while Saudi Pro League sporting director Michael Emenalo has allegedly ‘kept the lines of communication open’ with the playmaker as he weighs up his future.
Man City are believed to be hopeful that they can keep hold of De Bruyne and plan to open talks with their No.17 over a contract extension.
However, De Bruyne has hinted at a possible exit after admitting that he may find it difficult to turn down a big-money contract offer from the Middle East having now entered the latter stages of his career.
Speaking to HLN news about his club future ahead of Belgium’s friendly encounter with Montenegro on Wednesday, De Bruyne said: “For Michele (De Bruyne’s wife), an exotic adventure is okay. These are also conversations that we are increasingly having as a family.
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De Bruyne ‘open to everything’ amid Man City exit fears
“I still have one year left on my contract (at Man City), so I have to think about what could happen. My eldest (Mason Milian) is now eight years old and knows nothing but England. He also asks how long I will play for City. Once the moment comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way.”
Asked specifically about links with a move to Saudi Arabia, De Bruyne added: “At my age you have to be open to everything. You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.
“If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet.
“Then you have to think about what that could mean next. But at the moment I haven’t had to think about that yet.”
It remains to be seen whether De Bruyne, who is believed to be Man City’s highest earner pocketing £400,000 per week, will make a decision on his club future before or after representing Belgium at Euro 2024 this summer.