The preference from within Manchester City is to secure a sale of Kevin De Bruyne during the ongoing summer transfer window, according to new reports.
The Belgian international is the subject of ambitious, but intense transfer interest from Saudi Arabia, with Middle-Eastern decision makers viewing the 33-year-old as the next ‘transformational’ signing for their division.
There is a belief within the Saudi Pro League that the potential arrival of Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City could have an affect on the global publicity of their game not seen since Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr in 2022.
However, there is certainly plenty to think about for both De Bruyne and Manchester City, whilst Saudi Pro League staff will have to consider whether the impact of the player and his longevity in the game is worth a financial outlay in excess of £100 million.
For now, speculation continues to swirl around the future of the midfielder, and the latest information reveals the preference from within the Etihad Stadium, should they have a choice of two eventualities in the coming weeks.
According to the information of Manchester City insider ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ on X, Etihad Stadium officials would prefer to sell Kevin De Bruyne to Saudi Arabia this summer, if the intention is to run down his final year of contract and move there for free next year.
It is claimed that Manchester City have very little leverage in the matter surrounding the Belgian international, aside from offering a new deal to De Bruyne – who crucially turns 34-years-old next May, and will not take a pay cut.
Kevin De Bruyne has not been afraid to discuss the prospect of a move to Saudi Arabia in the public domain over the last few months, previously insisting that the money on offer in the Middle-East would be almost impossible to turn down.
Speaking during an interview with Belgian media in early June, the Manchester City vice-captain explained, “At my age you have to be open. You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.
“If I play there for two years, I’ll be able to earn an incredible amount. Before that I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet. Then you have to think about what that could mean next. But at the moment I haven’t had to think about that yet.”
However, since then, De Bruyne has appeared to indicate his belief that he will be a Manchester City player for the upcoming 2024/25 season, while the club have briefed various sources that there is no agreement in place between the player and Al-Ittihad in particular.