Kevin De Bruyne responds after proposal to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr: Reports
Kevin De Bruyne has reportedly informed Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr that he's focused on Manchester City until the end of the season.
Sky Sport journalist Rudy Galetti reported that De Bruyne was approached by the Saudi Pro League giants. Al-Alami are interested in bringing the Belgian star to KSU Stadium.
However, Kevin De Bruyne is concentrating on helping City for the rest of the 2023-24 campaign. He's been out on the sidelines since the opening game of the season with a partial muscle tear.
The 32-year-old is regarded as one of world football's best playmakers. He was the top assister across Europe's top five leagues last season (16), with 31 assists and 10 goals in 49 games across competitions.
Al-Nassr are putting together a strong squad capable of challenging for the Saudi Pro League title. The likes of Marcelo Brozovic, Sadio Mane, and De Bruyne's former City teammate Aymeric Laporte have followed Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia.
Al-Alami have their sights set on De Bruyne becoming the latest European superstar to link up with Ronaldo. They could be aided by the Cityzens' reported stance on their midfielder which is that they have concerns over his injury issues. He has two years left on his contract at the Etihad and has been with Pep Guardiola's side since 2015.
Jack Grealish insisted Kevin De Bruyne was only behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the world's best
Kevin De Bruyne's City teammate Jack Grealish waxed lyrical about the Belgian playmaker when joining the club in 2021. He insisted that he was the best player in the world apart from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (via GOAL):
"I have spoken about him a good few times. I have always said that apart from Ronaldo and Messi I think he is the best in the world. I think he has got absolutely everything. He is another one where I don’t think people give him credit for how fast he is."
Kevin De Bruyne has long earned plaudits for his consistency at City in which he has won every trophy on offer. He's scored 96 goals and provided 153 assists in 358 games across competitions.
The Belgium international has never won the Ballon d'Or unlike Messi (eight times) or Cristiano Ronaldo (five times). Some argue his exploits last season in helping the Cityzens win the continental treble merited at least a podium finish.