Manchester City would reportedly expect to receive at least £100 million for Kevin De Bruyne to sell the Belgian, amid interest from Saudi Arabia.
De Bruyne has just returned to action for City having spent nearly five months on the sidelines recovering from a hamstring injury.
De Bruyne made his return against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup a couple of weeks ago, and then made headlines for his superb cameo against Newcastle United in the Premier League.
The Belgian magician reminded everyone against the Magpies what an unbelievable player he is. Indeed, recently, Ruben Dias hailed him as ‘a special talent’.
There remains some speculation that officials in Saudi Arabia would really like to land De Bruyne to boost the profile of the Pro League.
But it will be very difficult for them according to a new report…
Manchester City want at least £100 million for Kevin De Bruyne amid interest from Saudi Arabia
Journalist Ben Jacobs has provided some information regarding Manchester City’s stance on Kevin De Bruyne.
The Saudi Pro League want a huge name, and the two main candidates are De Bruyne and Mo Salah of Liverpool.
De Bruyne’s camp have been approached previously by Saudi officials, with Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal both expressing an interest.
According to Jacobs in his Caught Offside column, City would expect an offer of at least £100 million to even have a conversation about a potential sale of the 32-year-old.
Apparently, Pep Guardiola actually still has hopes that De Bruyne will extend his current contract at the Etihad, which runs until 2025.
Previously, it has been suggested that De Bruyne could finish his career at City, with the player having been at the club since 2015. The player is settled, loves the club and has raised his family in Manchester.
De Bruyne going nowhere
So the Saudi Pro League still wants a huge name, and names don’t come much bigger than City’s Belgian maestro, who was described by Gary Neville after the win over Newcastle as ‘a different level’.
It is completely understandable that they would make a beeline for him, given his incredible talent as a footballer and his global profile.
But there is no chance of him going to Saudi right now, and it’s probably very unlikely that De Bruyne ever makes that move.
The player is happy and settled in Manchester and has been for a number of years.
It’s not a move he really needs to make, with De Bruyne on mega money at the Etihad. Obviously, he could earn an absolute fortune in Saudi, but one gets the impression it is not about money for De Bruyne.
At this point it’s about legacy, and De Bruyne can establish himself as the greatest Premier League player of all time by remaining at City until the end of his career.
