Man City ‘concerned’ despite ‘valuable asset’ rejecting Saudi as he’s tempted by ‘another destination’

Jason Soutar
Man City trio Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden celebrate a goal.
Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden celebrate a goal.

Kevin De Bruyne would prefer a move to Major League Soccer over the Saudi Pro League when his Man City contract expires, according to reports.

The Belgian midfielder is out of contract at the Etihad in 2025 and is attracting interest from the United States and the Middle East.

He will be one of the most sought-after players in the world if he decides to leave the European champions on a free transfer.

De Bruyne was sidelined for the first four months of the season after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring injury in Man City’s Premier League opener at Burnley.

The 32-year-old returned as if he had never left and has not struggled with the hamstring problem since coming back.

In 10 appearances since returning to full fitness, the former Chelsea youngster has scored two goals and provided eight assists.

Furthermore, City have not lost a single game since De Bruyne made his first appearance post-injury.

Read more: Which Manchester City players have scored the most goals against the Big Six?

Given his age and injury troubles over the last two years, his form is particularly impressive and he remains one of the best players in world football.

This means De Bruyne will not be short of suitors as he approaches the expiry of his contract in Manchester.

According to Fichajes in Spain, De Bruyne has received an offer from Saudi Arabia but is not keen on the move, instead preferring to join a club in MLS.

It is claimed that the Belgian has ‘rejected Saudi Arabia’ and is ‘thinking of another exit destination’, which is revealed to be in America.

As he has not signed a new contract, rumours are ‘becoming more and more intense’, which is obviously not ideal for Man City, who are ‘concerned’ as De Bruyne is ‘one of its most valuable assets’.

Signing a contract extension is not ruled out, however, but ‘if he finally opts not to renew his deal’, he will ‘consider other options such as MLS’.

City are planning ‘to extend the contractual relationship with the Belgian player and not be left without one of their main leaders on the field’, it is added.

De Bruyne’s £65million transfer to the Cityzens was heavily questioned at the time after his underwhelming spell at Chelsea.

He was never given much of a chance at Stamford Bridge but was able to make a name for himself at Wolfsburg, who made a massive profit on the player 18 months after buying him from the Blues.

For City, De Bruyne has won the Champions League, five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and five League Cups.

And in 367 appearances, the 32-year-old has scored 98 goals and made 161 assists.

Read now: Premier League XI of the season so far in 2023/24