The midfielder revealed on Friday that Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne will leave the team this summer.
The 33-year-old, who made 413 appearances for City and won six Premier League titles and the 2023 Champions League, has a contract expiration date of June 30.
What will happen to De Bruyne next? One possible landing spot is now unlikely, but that is still up in the air.
After preliminary exploratory discussions, San Diego FC has no plans to pursue De Bruyne further, according to sources who spoke to GIVEMESPORT. Although there has been some correspondence between the two parties, San Diego does not have De Bruyne on their agenda.
De Bruyne would be among the highest-paid players in MLS, and the move is inconsistent with San Diego’s identity. Chucky Lozano and Anders Dreyer are already their two designated players, and although they have no plans to add a third, they could.
Although De Bruyne won’t fetch as much as Lionel Messi, the highest-paid player in the league ($20 million), sources estimate that any deal could end up somewhere between Sergio Busquets ($8 million) and Lorenzo Insigne ($15 million). Busquets is the third-highest paid player in Major League Soccer, while Insigne is the second-highest.
He was previously on the club’s “discovery rights” list, but they removed him. In MLS, discovery rights are essentially the same as a club’s ability to negotiate with a player. The purpose of the rule was to prevent clubs from negotiating with one another.
Sources claim that another MLS club has his discovery rights, though it is currently unknown which club.
De Bruyne will undoubtedly have options in Europe as well. Turkish clubs have expressed interest in the past.
Even though De Bruyne’s contract expires on June 30, halfway through the Club World Cup, Manchester City hasn’t completely ruled out his departing after the competition this summer. The Belgian might still compete for a trophy in America, but City will let De Bruyne make the final decision.
“The question of whether De Bruyne will represent Man City at the Club World Cup is a good one. “I’m not sure,” Guardiola remarked. It’s a new competition, therefore he must make a decision. Although it depends on risk and future contracts, I hope he can play football somewhere else. He must communicate with the Club and express his desires.
MLS instead of Saudi Arabia?
In October, TALK2SOCCER first revealed that De Bruyne would rather play in Major League Soccer than Saudi Arabia. Sources remain unchanged. De Bruyne is open to MLS and will consider his family as well as the 2026 World Cup, which will be his final major competition.
Nevertheless, De Bruyne continues to be of tangible interest to Saudi Arabia. Despite saying he was open to the transfer last year, dealmakers are still sceptical if the Belgian will actually make the move.
According to the Belgian footballer, the Saudi money has the potential to change his life.
“You have to be open to everything at my age,” De Bruyne said last summer to the Belgian publication HLN. “At what might be the end of my career, you’re talking about enormous sums of money. You have to consider that sometimes.
Al-Hilal had a past interest in De Bruyne and plans to bring in some well-known players before the Club World Cup.
De Bruyne has also been connected to NEOM FC, an ambitious second division team that plans to reach the Saudi Pro League the following season. TALK2SOCCER is aware that they have not yet finalised their goals for the upcoming campaign and that they have not yet reached an agreement with De Bruyne.
The second Saudi team that has shown interest in De Bruyne to top Saudi dealmakers is Al-Qadsiah; however, the 33-year-old has not yet told them that he wishes to relocate there. Although it’s unclear if they will be inspired by San Diego’s pursuit of other targets, it’s thought that other MLS teams are still interested in the Belgian.
One of the best midfielders of his generation is 33-year-old De Bruyne. He played a pivotal role in Manchester City’s recent domination, which included six Premier League championships, one Champions League, two FA Cups, and five League Cups. In his 413 City appearances, he has 106 goals and 174 assists.
Alongside Belgium De Bruyne has scored 30 goals and earned 109 caps. He remains a vital element of his country’s squad.
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