Soccer
MLS chief eyes Kevin de Bruyne
The league’s newest team have already made a statement signing but general manager Tyler Heaps confirmed that adding another star is a “big priority”.
Could Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne be the next global superstar to make the move to MLS?
The Belgian’s current $429,000-per-week deal ends next summer and, with injuries becoming increasingly common in recent years, City may decide to part ways. There would be no shortage of suitors for the two-time Premier League Player of the Season but MLS' newest club have emerged as genuine contenders for his signature.
San Diego FC will make their MLS debut in the 2025 season and are reportedly working on a deal to bring De Bruyne to California. General manager Tyler Heaps was asked about the prospect of signing the 33-year-old in a recent interview with MLSsoccer.com.
“I enjoy watching him play football,” Heaps said with a smile. “I think a lot of people enjoy watching him play football, so I’ll just leave that at that.”
When asked about the profile of player that the team is targeting, Heaps’ answer suggested that De Bruyne is a possibility.
“We see it as probably an attacking player, again, to complement Hirving [Lozano],” Heaps added. “So we’re looking whether it’s right wing, or whether it’s [a No.] 8, [No.] 10. Somebody that can impact the game.”
San Diego looking beyond big-name targets
The first major deal struck by San Diego was the signing of Mexican forward Hirving Lozano from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven. Still only 29 years old, Lozano could have opted to remain in Europe but was lured to MLS by the ambitious San Diego project.
Manchester United academy graduate Paddy McNair arrives from Championship side West Bromwich Albion. Mikey Varas, who served as interim head coach for USMNT just two months ago, has been brought in to lead the team. Nevertheless Heaps is eager to point out that San Diego is also looking to take advantage of the talents available in the Expansion Draft.
“The other DP is obviously a big priority of ours at the moment, but so is the Expansion Draft, because we think there’s going to be some really quality players available,” he explained.
“We think this will be the deepest Expansion Draft ever, not only by sheer numbers, but there’s now 29 teams that are obviously up for grabs. This is the first Expansion Draft with the full U22 and DP lineup of the roster.”
Although they are still months away from playing their first competitive fixture, the San Diego project has generate a considerable amount of buzz around MLS. The ownership group paid a record expansion fee of $500 million to bring the team to San Diego and they are looking to make a splash in the league.
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