Kevin De Bruyne's transfer preference becomes clear as Man City star changes exit plan
Kevin De Bruyne is set to see his Manchester City contract expire in 2025 and will have many suitors chasing his signature as he ponders what to do for the final stage of his career
by Scott Trotter · The MirrorManchester City star Kevin De Bruyne is said to prefer a move to Major League Soccer should he depart the Premier League champions.
The 33-year-old has enjoyed six Premier League titles, two FA Cup trophies and a Champions League trophy among a number of successes at the Etihad Stadium but has now entered the final year of his contract. Diaglogue between De Bruyne's representatives and the club is said to be underway but the Belgian is reported to be 'unlikely' to extend his stay.
The ex-Chelsea and Wolfsburg midfielder is drawn to the culture of the United States as a place to raise his family, in contrast to a much-touted move to the Saudi Pro League.
Sky report that San Diego FC are the most likely candidate for De Bruyne's signature as they launch in the MLS in 2025. The likes of Hirving Lozano and former Manchester United youngster Paddy McNair are already involved with the club ahead of next season and it is said that the team can offer a comparable salary to that of Manchester City.
De Bruyne played down the suggestions he had been involved in discussions concerning his future over the summer. The veteran said it had been a 'quiet' summer and that he had 'not been entertained by anybody or spoken to anybody'.
It had been said in May that his representatives held talks with new MLS franchise San Diego, and details of preliminary discussions over a potential move to Saudi Arabia emerged shortly after.
It was even reported in February by The Athletic that De Bruyne planned to sign a new contract with City with the possibility of retiring around the age of 35. An interview with Belgian outlet HLN perhaps left people expecting an imminent departure however.
De Bruyne said: “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 has not featured since the middle of September and has shown few signs of being close to a return. Pep Guardiola admitted ahead of Sparta Praha that his comeback remains uncertain.
“No, it’s not a big issue," he said. "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.”
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