Manchester City superstar ready to move away from club, agrees personal terms with SPL giants - Reports
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has reportedly agreed on personal terms with Al-Ittihad for a potential move this summer. The Saudi Pro League giants are looking to strengthen their side ahead of the 2024-25 season under Laurent Blanc.
De Bruyne joined the Cityzens from VfL Wolfsburg for a total fee of €76 million in 2015. Since arriving, he's scored 102 goals and provided 170 assists in 382 games across competitions. He's been a club legend, helping them win six Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League trophy, among others.
However, De Bruyne made just 26 appearances across competitions last season due to multiple injury issues. He scored six goals and 18 assists in that time but his future came under speculation.
As per reports from Italy (via Manchester Evening News), Al-Ittihad are interested in signing De Bruyne this summer. They have already agreed on personal terms with him for a potential move. The 33-year-old midfielder's contract with Manchester City expires next summer. If he doesn't sign a new contract, he will be open to leave for free and City would rather sell him this summer.
Kevin De Bruyne on his future at Manchester City amidst Saudi Pro League links
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was recently asked about his links with a move to the Saudi Pro League this summer. He didn't rule out a transfer and highlighted the huge wages that players get in Saudi Arabia.
The Belgian said:
"At my age you have to be open to everything. You're talking about incredible amounts of money in what might be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that. If I played there [Saudi Arabia] 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. At the moment, I haven't had to think about that [a summer transfer] yet."
De Bruyne could join the likes of N'Golo Kante and Karim Benzema at Al-Ittihad. The Saudi Pro League side finished fifth in the table last season, a whopping 42 points behind champions Al-Hilal.