Saudi Arabia continues to roam freely in the European market, and now it is Kevin De Bruyneone of the best midfielders of the past decade, who will pack their bags for Saudi football.
Saudi money on the charge
As the ‘Daily Mail’ points out‘, the agreement between the player and Al-Ittihad is complete, a pharaonic offer that the Belgian could not have refused. After nine successful years at Manchester City, a club where Kevin has become a legend of the Premier Leaguethe midfielder will change teams at 33 years old.
Let’s remember that the former Chelsea and Wolfsburg player, among other teams, has been perhaps the most important player since Pep Guardiola’s arrival in Manchester, an omnipresent midfielder in the midfield who has been key in the ‘Cityzen’ dominance of all English competitions. De Bruyne will leave the British Isles with 6 Premier League, 2 FA Cup and 5 League Cups under his belt.
AN OFFER IMPOSSIBLE TO REFUSE
“If I play there for two years I could earn an incredible amount” De Bruyne told a Belgian newspaper a few weeks ago, arguing that Saudi football is a practically unrejectable option in the twilight of a footballer’s career, where money becomes the priority before titles. Even more so for a boy like De Bruyne, who at club level has won everything. The most important of all, the one that City had been resisting for so many years, he achieved in 2023, a Champions League in Istanbul that ended the European nightmare of the Manchester club. De Bruyne had to retire injured in the final, although that European scepter has his name engraved in fire.
Kevin de Bruyne and Jérémy Doku can make the difference against Romania / EFE
In any case, Kevin is already thinking about the next chapter of his career and it seems that these siren songs will soon become reality, since the Belgian will become part of Al-Ittihad next season, a team in which other superstars already play such as Karim Benzema, Fabinho or N’Golo Kanté himself, who is deeply involved in rumours about a possible return to Europe.
With the agreement closed between club and player, now all that is left is for City y Al-Ittihad have just agreed on a transfer fee. If the departure is made official, Pep Guardiola would have to look for a replacement for his ‘magician’ in the remainder of the transfer market. Despite having a talent like Rodri in the engine room, players like Kalvin Philipps, Kovacic or Matheus Nunes, who arrived last summer and has been a testimonial in the rotation, seem insufficient for a team that aspires to everything like City.
Let’s remember that De Bruyne only has one year left on his contract with Manchester City, the club where he landed in 2015 and where he has defended the ‘Cityzen’ jersey in 382 matches. 102 goals and 160 assists These are the records of a football wizard who will always be remembered in the British Isles.
IN ARABIA THEY DENY IT
Other sources in Saudi Arabia say that there is no agreement between the footballer City and Al-IttihadAs reported by Fabrizio Romano, the priority for Laurent Blanc’s team would be the French winger from Aston Villa, Moussa Diaby, for which they will pay around 55 million euros. We will see what ends up happening with Kevin De Bruye and his future at the ‘skyblue’ side of Manchester.
