Kevin De Bruyne makes transfer stance clear as star 'decides' on next club after Man City

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne is reportedly eyeing a move to Major League Soccer if he decides to leave the Premier League champions.

The 33-year-old has had an illustrious career at the Etihad Stadium, boasting six league titles, two FA Cup trophies and a Champions League win among his many achievements. However, with his contract entering its final year, discussions between De Bruyne’s representatives and the club are said to be in progress, but it seems ‘unlikely’ that the Belgian will extend his stay.

Rather than considering a much-speculated move to the Saudi Pro League, the former Chelsea and Wolfsburg midfielder is attracted to the lifestyle of the United States as a place to bring up his family.

Sky reports suggest that San Diego FC, set to debut in the MLS in 2025, are the frontrunners for De Bruyne’s signature. The club already boasts players like Hirving Lozano and ex-Manchester United youngster Paddy McNair in their ranks ahead of next season, and it’s believed they can match City’s salary offer.

De Bruyne dismissed rumours of any discussions about his future over the summer. The seasoned player stated it had been a ‘quiet’ summer and that he had ‘not been entertained by anybody or spoken to anybody’.

Back in May, it was reported that his representatives had engaged in talks with new MLS franchise San Diego, and shortly after, details of preliminary discussions about a potential move to Saudi Arabia surfaced.

In February, The Athletic reported that De Bruyne was mulling over signing a new deal with City, potentially seeing him winding down his career at the age of 35. An interview with Belgian publication HLN has sparked rumours of his possible exit, though.

De Bruyne commented: “At my age you have to be open to everything. 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 [Saudi Arabia] for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. 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.

De Bruyne hasn’t taken to the pitch since mid-September and it appears he’s nowhere near returning to the game. Pep Guardiola, ahead of the Sparta Praha match, has acknowledged that De Bruyne’s return to sport is still up in the air.

“No, it’s not a big issue,” Guardiola mentioned. “But he doesn’t feel completely fine and Kevin is not 22-years-old anymore, he has to be fit for his football. He has to be completely, completely fit and he doesn’t feel comfortable at all.

“So he cannot express his incredible potential at his best, so that’s why he’s training a little bit better, but still he doesn’t feel… He said to me, ‘Still I don’t feel good’. So if you don’t feel good, take your time.”