Man City superstar’s explosive exit gets serious as Saudi league officials make contact to lure him away
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne celebrates with Erling Haaland and Kyle Walker
Saudi Pro League officials have reportedly made contact with Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne regarding a potential transfer.
The Saudi top flight’s profile has grown rapidly of late, as the lure of huge contracts has seen the league become awash with big-name players. Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the first to make the move, with many more stars following suit.
The likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, Riyad Mahrez and more are now plying their trade in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Pro League sides have tried but failed to make more massive transfers than just those. Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah were targets of Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad, respectively.
A recent report has detailed how Salah is ‘increasingly likely’ to quit Liverpool in order to move to a side in the Middle East in the New Year, though which club is not specified.
He might not be the only high-profile Premier League name that’s to move there soon.
It was recently reported that Man City man De Bruyne had been invited to a meeting with Al-Nassr.
A strong argument could be made that Salah and De Bruyne are the two best players in the Premier League, so their exits to Saudi Arabia could be the most explosive yet.
Saudi Pro League officials sound out De Bruyne
According to Football Insider, the interest from those in Saudi Arabia to lure him to the league has taken its next step.
Indeed, the report states that Saudi Pro League officials have sounded him out ahead of a potential move. League officials themselves see him as a ‘serious target’ as they look to further grow the profile of the league.
It’s not uncommon in Saudi Arabia for the league to get involved in transfer dealings, particularly amid its sudden growth.
After initial contacts, it’s said officials are ‘hopeful of persuading’ De Bruyne to make the move.
Recent reports detailing City’s reluctance to offer the attacking-midfielder a new contract amid his injury troubles could pave the way for the switch to Saudi Arabia to happen.
However, if he gets back fit and has no more injury problems, it’s expected they will open talks with their star.
Whether or not interest from the Saudi Pro League acts as a distraction to that remains to be seen. A huge name like De Bruyne leaving England would be one of the most damaging for the Premier League of late.
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