Michael Emenalo, the director of the Saudi Pro League, has named Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne as one player he would like to see make a move to Saudi Arabia.
The previous summer transfer window saw numerous players across Europe, including Riyad Mahrez, join clubs in the Saudi Pro League.
Now though, one of the league’s big figures has named one City player in the conversation over potential future arrivals in the Middle East.
Saudi director names De Bruyne as key target
Speaking in a recent interview with Sky Sports, Emenalo had this to say on the topic of the sort of players that have joined and the ones that he would like to see join the Saudi Pro League.
He said: “Mo Salah, like [Lionel] Messi, [Karim] Benzema, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, these are players that when there is a sense of availability for them, we are willing to listen.”
City signed the midfielder back in the 2015 summer transfer window from Wolfsburg in a deal worth £55m.
Since then, the Belgian has made 358 appearances for the Manchester club across all competitions, scoring 96 goals, providing 153 assists and winning numerous trophies including five Premier League titles.
The 32-year-old’s contract at the Etihad Stadium is set to expire in the summer of 2025, which means that if the club aren’t planning on offering him a new deal, the next summer transfer window could be an ideal time for a Saudi club to try and launch a potential transfer move for the player.
However, we feel that given his importance to the team, which Pep Guardiola has highlighted previously, the club should offer De Bruyne a new deal to keep him at the Etihad beyond his current deal and dismiss any possibility of a Saudi club trying to lure him to the Middle East.
