Kevin De Bruyne's contract with Manchester City expires in June and his future remains undecided, although the expectation is that he'll quit the Premier League champions
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NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 8: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and Manchester City FC at City Ground on March 8, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)
Kevin De Bruyne has interest from MLS and Saudi Arabia(Image: Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)
Kevin De Bruyne has held talks to leave Manchester City and join MLS newcomers San Diego, the club's sporting director has confirmed. De Bruyne, 33, is weighing up his options after entering the final few months of his contract at City.
The Belgian midfielder will've spent a decade with the eight-time Premier League champions come the summer but he's on course to wave goodbye to the Etihad when his current deal expires on June 30. De Bruyne has lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia on the table but reportedly prefers the United States if he's to leave City.
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San Diego, who are embarking on their first season in MLS as the division's newest team, are long-time admirers of the City playmaker and their sporting director, Tyler Heaps, has revealed talks with De Bruyne and his agent. Heaps also told reporters that the playmaker is a big fan of southern California.
Despite that, the San Diego chief poured cold water on the likelihood of De Bruyne joining them due to his wage demands. "Those rumours, I don't know where they come from. I talked to the agent," Heaps said.
"The agent has many players, obviously. Every time I see it, I say, 'Are you the one that is saying all this stuff?' He's a fantastic footballer and he loves this area. He goes on holidays here every single year, but I'm not sure where that rumour keeps coming from.
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"I've had conversations with him, but I'll tell you what, those wages won't fit our budget at the moment in terms of what his expectations are."
City boss Pep Guardiola addressed the speculation surrounding De Bruyne's future last month, saying that the 33-year-old will be 'honest with himself' when making a decision. "Nothing is going to change about that. Of course we know each other quite well and we are quite honest with that," Guardiola explained.
"I think in that situation he has to decide, that is the most important thing. He's completely honest with himself, to decide what he feels and what he can do in the next period of his life. He's 34 in the summer and he has to decide, like what happened with David Silva for example."
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Kevin De Bruyne attacking midfield of Belgium and Manchester City during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A/B Play-offs first leg match between Ukraine and Belgium at Estadio Enrique Roca on March 20, 2025 in Murcia, Spain. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Kevin De Bruyne has spoken to San Diego's sporting director(Image: Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
As for De Bruyne himself, he stated in January: "I've not spoken to them for the moment. I wanted to get better, I'm doing better, so I'm happy.
"We'll see, something will happen. I don't think wherever I go I'll get a 10-year contract anyway, so I don't need to stress."
De Bruyne is currently in action for Belgium, registering an assist during Thursday's Nations League play-off first leg which ended 3-1 to home side Ukraine. The second leg takes place on Sunday.
City's next match is an FA Cup quarter-final clash away to Bournemouth.
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