Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne Nears Move to Al Ittihad as ‘Verbal Understanding’ Is Reached
A ‘verbal agreement’ is rumored to have been reached between Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and one of the clubs within the Saudi Pro League.
The Belgian International is nearing the final years of his professional football career at the top level, and doubts are emerging over whether he will stay with the Premier League champions. His current deal at Manchester City runs through the summer of 2025, adding to the speculation of his exit.
The Manchester City legend is not short on options, with Major League Soccer in the United States or the Saudi Pro League clubs lining up to sign him.
Journalist Rudy Galetti, reporting on X, has indicated that a ‘verbal understanding’ is in place for De Bruyne to move to the Saudi Pro League Club Al-Ittihad.
These rumors have swelled in recent days after De Bruyne himself indicated that he was open to making a move to the Saudi Pro League, saying, “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.“
If the 32-year-old makes the move to the Saudi Pro League, he will be bringing to an end 9 years of successful and influential service to Manchester City and Pep Guardiola. The midfielder has conceded that it is time to start thinking about his next move.
“These are conversations that we are increasingly having as a family,” added De Bruyne.
“I still have one year left on my contract, so I have to think about what could happen. My eldest son 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.”
A move to the SPL will be a coup for the Middle Eastern nation and a boon to its budding footballing profile.
