Man City stance, FIFA rule change, Saudi transfer interest - Kevin De Bruyne future latest

2025 is set to be a year of change at Manchester City.

Txiki Begiristain is set to leave, Pep Guardiola's deal expires in June, and there are those outstanding 115 charges from the Premier League that will have significant ramifications for City's relationship with the league they have dominated whatever the result.

There is the Club World Cup that will see City be one of the star attractions at the expanded tournament that FIFA are pinning so much on - amid consistent pushback from players and managers over the ever-increasing schedule. And there will be decisions to be made on some City legends, too, with Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne out of contract.

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De Bruyne was subject to intense reports over the summer that he could leave, with the Saudi Pro League strongly linked. In the end, Guardiola would cool those reports on tour and De Bruyne remained at City, now into the final year of his contract.

In theory, he would be free to sign a deal with a new club from January, and he offered an update on his expectations last month. So where do City stand on De Bruyne's future?

What has De Bruyne said?

De Bruyne set the rumour mill into overdrive over the summer when he admitted his head would be turned by an 'absurd' offer from Saudi Arabia, and he hardly shut those reports down when he later tried to clarify his position. In the end, no offer came, and he later said that he did not speak to any club over the summer.

Speaking after City's win at West Ham last month, De Bruyne insisted: "There has been a lot of noises and news. I've not been entertained by anybody or spoken to anybody."

In terms of looking at a new contract, De Bruyne confirmed no talks had taken place over the summer while the transfer window was still open.

"Once the season goes on, I'm sure there will be conversations to be had with City," he says. "It was the transfer market, I don't want to be busy with that. I just want to feel good, play good football and this will come in the upcoming months. I don't really feel the rush for the moment."

That was at the start of September, with a few moving parts turning since then. Begiristain's exit will simply be public confirmation of what has been known within the club for a while. The situation with Guardiola's contract will surely be a factor in De Bruyne's decision, but again he will know everything he needs to know when he makes his decision over his future.

De Bruyne said as much last month, in relation to his teammates at least. "I don't really know [what is important in contract talks]. Family is obviously an important factor whatever happens," he said.

"It's very hard to talk hypothetically because obviously there are things you want as a family, as a person, as a project. But when I don't know anything there's not a lot I can say.

"I know what the team can give me, there's nothing really new that I can learn. Obviously we'll see what happens when the conversation starts."

What has Guardiola said?

After shutting down the summer transfer links in pre-season, Guardiola has not really addressed De Bruyne's future - especially with no talks having taken place as of last month.

In February, however, he did appeal for the Belgian to end his career at the Etihad, referring to those long-standing Saudi links. "It's a question for him, I'd love him to stay but I don't know," Guardiola said.

"I heard some links but I don't know if there's an offer, I don't know if Saudi Arabia wants him. I would love him to stay until the end of his career, but everyone is everyone."

City rarely offer players over 30 contracts more than one year, although after seeing Ilkay Gundogan leave because he didn't get a two-year offer, they then handed Kyle Walker a three-year extension to stop him joining Bayern Munich last summer. Walker signed that deal when he was 33, with De Bruyne turning 34 in the final days of his current deal.

De Bruyne's injury record will also be a factor for City to consider. Guardiola says he can win games on his own and without helping City play well, but City will surely be mindful that he missed five months last season and is still feeling the effects of the surgery he underwent 12 months ago.

What about the Club World Cup?

If De Bruyne does decide to call time on his ten-year City career next summer, his contract will expire at the end of June - with every chance that City are still in the Club World Cup which continues for another two weeks.

To help players like De Bruyne, FIFA recently introduced temporary amendments to their registration rules which will make it easier for clubs to offer two-week extensions to players with expiring contracts.

However, the rules are also designed to help players play for more than one club at the start of the 2025/26 season, which technically begins on July 1. So in theory, De Bruyne would be able to finish the Club World Cup for City and then sign for a new club for the traditional start of the 2025/26 season.

Has the Saudi Arabia interest gone away?

If you take De Bruyne's comments, there was never interest because he never spoke to anybody at a club. He also downplayed a conversation he had over the summer with Michael Emenalo - the sporting director for the Saudi Pro League - and put that down to being old friends with the former Chelsea director of football who brought him to Stamford Bridge.

"I saw him [Emenalo] at the Club World Cup," De Bruyne said over the summer. "I know Michael, so it makes sense for us to have a chat. But it wasn't about that."

Guardiola referenced Saudi Arabia - although it could have been in response to a question about the SPL - and it is logical for clubs in that league to be targeting players like De Bruyne. City have sold Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte and Joao Cancelo to Saudi clubs in recent summers, while big names are being offered huge sums to end their careers in the Kingdom - like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar.

It is logical for Saudi clubs to eye a player as brilliant as De Bruyne, available on a free transfer, and see him as exactly the profile of star they should be signing.