Kevin de Bruyne in talks with MLS team, and it’s not Inter Miami

Fans of Manchester City have just five more domestic games, plus a few more in the Club World Cup, the savour the sight of Kevin de Bruyne in a sky blue shirt.

One of the club’s greatest-ever players has announced that he will be leaving Manchester this summer, but his next destination is still unknown. On Thursday we got the clearest clue yet, with multiple sources reporting that MLS side Chicago Fire are currently in talks with the Belgian midfielder about a shock move.

The Athletic reports that De Bruyne is leaning towards an MLS move despite interest from Saudi Arabia. Chicago Fire are actively pursuing a deal but Inter Miami currently hold the player’s MLS discovery rights, a mechanism that essentially gives them priority in negotiating a deal.

The league’s wage restrictions would almost certainly prevent Miami from signing De Bruyne so he would be able to sign with the Fire, potentially with a small fee paid to Miami to release his rights. Elsewhere in MLS, DC United and New York City FC are also thought to be monitoring the player.

For his part, De Bruyne has remained tight-lipped on his next move. He will be eager to end his trophy-laden spell in Manchester on a positive note and the team recently qualified for the FA Cup final.

“I’m open for anything, anything, just because I have to look at the whole picture,” De Bruyne said recently. “I’m looking at sporting, family, everything together, what makes the most sense for me and my family.”

“I don’t know what that is, because it depends on when you speak to people and what they say about projects or something, like I said, I still feel like I can play at a good level, but then after I’ll have to make a decision once I really know a little bit more.”

The Chicago Fire are in need of a transformative signing to help shake them from a long run of underperforming. One of the original ten MLS teams back in 1996, the Fire have not made the playoffs since 2017 and their wait for a single postseason victory is even longer, dating back to 2009.

With former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter installed as head coach there is a sense of optimism around Chicago. The arrival of a player of De Bruyne’s quality would certainly help to bring about the change that is so desperately needed.

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