Manchester City superstar's advisors hold meetings with Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr amid rumors of summer exit - Reports
Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne's advisors have reportedly held talks with Al-Nassr where he could line up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. As reported by Essentially Sports, the Belgium international has emerged as a target for the Riyadh-based club.
De Bruyne has been mentioned as a target for the Saudi Pro League sides since last summer as they looked for big names from European clubs. Al-Nassr's rivals Al Hilal and Al Ittihad have also emerged as admirers of the creative midfielder and we can potentially witness a three-way battle.
Manchester City became the first-ever English club to clinch four successive Premier League titles but De Bruyne endured an injury-riddled season. The 32-year-old missed a total of 35 games with injuries and only featured 26 times across competitions.
While the Manchester City midfielder has contributed with six goals and 18 assists showcasing his unparalleled creativity, his fitness issues have hurt Pep Guardiola's side. With his age and contract expiring next summer, Manchester City might choose to cash in on their prized asset.
De Bruyne joined the Sky Blues in a £55 million deal from Wolfsburg back in 2015 and has been a brilliant servant to the club. He has scored 102 goals and produced 170 assists in 382 appearances for the club till date winning a total of 16 trophies in the process.
Essentially Sports also claim that despite interest from Saudi Arabia, the ex-Chelsea midfielder is not keen on a switch. He could reportedly sign a new deal at the Etihad and eventually join the Major League Soccer.
Pep Guardiola admits his mistake following Manchester City's FA Cup final loss to Manchester United
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted that he got his tactics wrong as his side lost 2-1 to rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final. Despite heading into the game as clear favorites, the Cityzens suffered a surprise defeat against Erik ten Hag's side. Following the game, Guardiola said:
"Congratulations to Manchester United. I think my gameplan in the first half was not good. The second half was much, much better. We were more intense, partly because we were 2-0 down and we didn't have anything to lose."
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager added:
"Because of my decisions, we were not in the right positions to attack them. It was my mistake, my gameplan was not good. The players know the reason why. Tactically, it was not good, I had a feeling it was not good. It didn't work, as simple as that."
Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scored for Manchester United while Jemery Doku scored a late goal for the Cityzens.