Is Kevin De Bruyne going to leave Manchester City for Saudi Arabia? Transfer update

Kevin De Bruyne has one more year left on his contract with Manchester City (June 2025). Despite missing the first five months of the season through injury, the Belgian proved once again in the 2023-2024 campaign that he is not only one of the best players in the league, but the world.

The Belgian needed just 26 games to dish out 17 assists and score six goals. However, good things don’t last forever. A few months ago, The Athletic reported that Kevin de Bruyne “would rather join MLS than go to Saudi Arabia”: this was the start of the rumours regarding the possibility of him leaving the Manchester club; the noise, now that the season has ended, is even louder.

De Bruyne: future will be dealt with ‘in a certain way’

In exclusive statements for the Belgian TV channel VTM, advanced by the Dutch media HLN, the Manchester City player was asked about his future.

“For Michèle (his wife), an exotic adventure is fine. They are also conversations that we have more and more as a family. I have one more year on my contract, so I have to think about what might happen. My eldest son is now eight years old and only knows England. He also asks me how long I will play for Manchester City. When the time comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way,” the Belgian midfielder openly stated.

The information published by The Athletic in February said that “Kevin de Bruyne received an offer of around €70 million ($76m) a year last summer to join Saudi Arabia, but he said no. He has always considered retiring in the more traditional way: by leaving for Major League Soccer. A move to the United States might suit him and his family better than a move to Saudi Arabia, even if the money is not so good.”

‘Incredible money at the end of my career. You have to think about that’

De Bruyne spoke incredibly openly about a possible move to Saudi Arabia, highlighting the obvious financial incentive that such a move would inevitably bring: “At my age, you have to be open to everything. There is talk of incredible money in what could be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.

“If I play there for two years, I can earn an incredible amount. For that I’ve had to play football for 15 years. Maybe I won’t even get to that amount. Then you have to think about what that might mean later. But at the moment, I haven’t had to think about that yet”. The links with De Bruyne to the Middle East also coincide with the emergence of Phil Foden as one of City’s star attackers.

De Bruyne also spoke at Belgium’s training camp ahead of the European Championship and referred to his teammate Courtois, absent from the final ‘Red Devils’ squad for the tournament: “The best thing would be to have everyone available. I do not know all the details of the matter because I was not present at that training camp. But we have to trust the other three goalkeepers in the team. The situation is what it is.”