The Saudi Pro League has already poached one Manchester City player – and it could come calling for another next year.
The league has risen to prominence over the past few months.
A number of players have now followed Cristiano Ronaldo to the Middle East, and it isn’t just players who are at the end of their careers.
City saw Riyad Mahrez join Al Ahli a couple of weeks ago.
The Algerian saw the opportunity to earn a huge sum of money, and felt the time was right for him to go given he has achieved all there is to achieve at City.
And another City player could now become a target for the league…
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Saudi Pro League wants Man City maestro Kevin De Bruyne in 2024
According to a report from the Sunday Mirror, the Saudi Pro League are now looking to make a swoop for Kevin De Bruyne in 2024.
They are also looking to lure Mo Salah from Liverpool.
The state-backed league has money to burn, and neither of these players would be out of reach financially.
De Bruyne and Salah are pretty much the ‘faces’ of the Premier League.
The pair have been at the top of their games for years now and are both undoubtedly world-class players.
Certainly if one did go to Saudi, then it would be a huge coup for the league and go some way to raising its profile.
De Bruyne going to Saudi is not likely
It is no surprise that the Saudi Pro League wants De Bruyne, who cost City £55 million in 2016.
They have been on a mission this summer to lure big names, and they’ve done that fairly successfully so far, although a few big names, like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, have rejected moves there
De Bruyne would be a serious statement signing by the SPL.
But it is surely not likely.
De Bruyne loves City and has regularly spoken about how he sees Manchester as his home now.
He has raised his family here and his kids go to school here.
De Bruyne – previously hailed as ‘incredible’ by Thierry Henry – doesn’t need to make that move.
Surely, he is going to retire at City in a few years’ time.