Kevin De Bruyne will leave Man City in the summer, but where he ends up remains very much a mystery.
On Friday, Kevin De Bruyne confirmed the emotional news that fans have been fearing for some time now: De Bruyne will leave Manchester City in the summer when his contract expires.
It comes after an illustrious 10 year stay at the Etihad where De Bruyne has lifted six Premier League titles, a Champions League, and nine other titles, making for 16 in total.
And ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday, even Man United boss Ruben Amorim praised De Bruyne’s Man City career, showing his well-respected the 33-year-old is in the game.
The game at Old Trafford on Sunday will be De Bruyne’s 22nd game against Man United, with De Bruyne set to have played Man United, Chelsea, and Arsenal more than any other club in his career (22 games against each should De Bruyne play on Sunday).
With only eight games left of the Premier League season time is ticking for De Bruyne to figure out his next move. But with his Etihad departure confirmed, clubs can really start to make their moves.
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Kevin De Bruyne prefers MLS over Saudi Arabia after Man City exit announced
All season long there’s been talk of De Bruyne moving to Saudi Arabia after leaving Man City. Several teams have been linked, though the latest is Neom SC. Recent reports revealed that Neom SC have held talks with De Bruyne, who also has tentative interest from Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, along with Argentinian side River Plate.
Now though GIVEMESPORT have revealed the latest on De Bruyne’s future. Ben Jacobs and Tom Bogert write that De Bruyne still ‘prefers MLS over Saudi Arabia’ and is ‘open to MLS’ this summer, though ‘San Diego FC are not planning on pursuing De Bruyne further after initial exploratory talks’.
The same report does go on to confirm that ‘there is concrete Saudi interest in De Bruyne’ with Al-Qadsiah having ‘expressed an interest’. But the MLS is De Bruyne’s preferred option and GIVEMESPORT say he could be set to earn an $8million-a-year salary (£6.21million-a-year).
Kevin De Bruyne’s no.1 goal is clear right now
Just a couple of weeks ago, there were reports that De Bruyne was open to staying at Man City, in a bid to keep himself playing at a higher level ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
And GIVEMESPORT’s above report states that De Bruyne will make his next move with the World Cup in mind, so it seems obvious that De Bruyne’s sort of final hurrah will be the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking to the press on Friday, Pep revealed his conversation with De Bruyne before his Man City announcement, with Pep saying that De Bruyne is starting to feel back to his best with regards to fitness after several problems in the last 18 months or so.
So expect De Bruyne to not talk this next decision lightly. MLS seems like the standout choice right now but an offer could come up in Europe which might entice De Bruyne to stick around for a while longer yet.
