Kevin De Bruyne 'AGREES personal terms to join Pro League side Al-Ittihad' - after the Man City star...

De Bruyne Agrees To Join Al-Ittihad With Lucrative Offer

Posted: 01:08 AM on July 21, 2024 | Revised: 08:44 AM on July 21, 2024

Kevin De Bruyne is said to have reached an agreement on personal terms to move to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.

After being with Etihad for almost ten years, the current contract of the Belgian midfielder is scheduled to end at the close of the 2024-25 season.

The Mail Sport news outlet stated in February that De Bruyne was seen as a main player of interest for the growing Saudi Pro League. Officials were ready to increase their efforts to sign the Champions League winner during the upcoming summer transfer window.

According to journalist Rudy Galetti's report, Al-Ittihad has successfully reached an agreement with De Bruyne for a transfer.

The article says that Al-Ittihad and City are currently in talks about a fee for the 33-year-old player. He originally came to Manchester from Wolfsburg for £55 million in 2015.

Kevin De Bruyne has supposedly made an agreement on the details of his contract to become a member of Al-Ittihad.

During his time at Man City, De Bruyne has had a very successful career, winning a total of 15 trophies in the last nine years.

De Bruyne might sign with Saudi Pro League team, joining top players like Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante.

Al-Ittihad has just named Laurent Blanc, a former player for France and Manchester United, as their new coach. They have some impressive players in their team, such as N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, and Fabinho.

Nevertheless, even after making significant investments last year, the club owned by the Public Investment Fund could only secure a fifth place finish in the league. They ended up over 40 points behind the dominating Al-Hilal team.

This happened after winning the Pro League last season, and in the 2023-24 season, Al-Ittihad also decided to separate from Nuno Espirito Santo as their manager.

Signing De Bruyne would be a major win for the team, considering his impressive performances during his nine years at the Etihad Stadium.

In 382 games for City, the Belgian player has scored 102 goals and provided 170 assists. He has also won 15 trophies with the club.

But now, De Bruyne has mentioned his interest in potentially moving to the Middle East due to the significant amount of money that would be offered to him. This could make it difficult for him to reject such an opportunity as he nears the end of his career.

"I have one more year on my contract, so I need to consider the possibilities," he said to Het Laatste Nieuws.

My oldest child is now eight years old and has only ever known life in England. They have started asking me how much longer I will continue playing for City. When the time comes, we will have to handle it in a specific manner.

As I grow older, I recognize the importance of staying open-minded. The potential monetary rewards at this stage of my career are significant and I must consider all possibilities. It's crucial to be mindful of the impact these decisions could have on the future of my career.

De Bruyne also mentioned, "By playing in that position for a couple of years, I could make a huge amount of money. It took me 15 years of playing football to get to where I am now. I might not have even earned that much yet."

Next, you need to consider the implications of that. However, I have not had to contemplate that just yet.

The 35-year-old recently confessed that he is willing to consider a transfer to the Saudi Pro League.

De Bruyne said he has talked to his wife Michele about going on an exciting trip together.

Al-Ittihad recently named former Manchester United defender Laurent Blanc as the new manager of the club.

De Bruyne has talked a lot with his wife Michele Lacroix about the possibility of leaving Manchester City.

Lacroix is rumored to be open to a 'unique opportunity', which adds to the confidence of potential buyers that De Bruyne, who is also being pursued by MLS teams, may be swayed by a proposal this summer.

In the meantime, Michael Emenalo, the sporting director of the Pro League, who brought De Bruyne to Chelsea from Genk in 2012, was present at one of City's training sessions before Christmas during the Club World Cup. He was closely watching the midfielder.

De Bruyne has witnessed Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte, who used to play with him at City, move to Saudi Arabia. There is also interest from the Pro League in securing City goalkeeper Ederson this summer.