Man City Transfer News: End of an era with 10-man exodus approve while Kevin De Bruyne is at to join a second Division club
Kevin De Bruyne’s contract is up at the end of the season – and he looks set to leave Manchester City in the summer with a move to the Saudi second tier on the cards
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Kevin De Bruyne looks set to leave Manchester City in the summer and link up with a Saudi Arabian second division side.
De Bruyne, 33, is out of contract in the summer – and he’s been long since linked with a move away from the champions. The Belgian has been linked with the likes River Plate, Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and San Diego FC.
And the American side revealed they had entered into contract discussions, but they faced a stumbling block when it came to his wage demands.
Last summer, De Bruyne was approached last summer about a move to Saudi Arabia and was offered around £59.7million per season to make the switch, but he turned it down.
De Bruyne has now entered talks with Saudi second tier side Neom SC, and they have been described as “serious” and “positive” by Foot Mercato with the Belgian not closed to the idea of joining the club.
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Speaking last year ahead of the Euros, De Bruyne admitted he wouldn’t rule out a move to the Middle East.
“For Michele, an exotic adventure is OK. These are also conversations that we are increasingly having as a family,” De Bruyne told Belgian broadcaster VTM, according to newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws., external
“I still have one year of contract, so I have to think about what can happen.
“My eldest [child] is now eight years old and knows nothing but England. He also asks how long I will play at City. Once the time comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way.
“At my age, you have to be open to everything. You talk about unbelievable amounts in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.”
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Pep Guardiola’s summer rebuild at Manchester City could see as many as 10 senior stars depart the club, it has been claimed.
Guardiola and Man City know the squad needs revamping to get them back in the mix for top silverware such as the Premier League and Champions League. Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov arrived at the Etihad in January, and they will be followed by yet more exciting stars later this year.
City have an ageing squad and that clearly needs addressing.
In order to fund a plethora of new arrivals, the Citizens must sell and offload players who are not considered key parts of the long-term project.
As per French outlet Foot Mercato, City will respond drastically to their ‘cursed season’, with 10 stars at risk of being axed.
The list includes John Stones, Jeremy Doku, Mateo Kovacic, Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne.
Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, James McAtee, Ederson and Stefan Ortega are also facing very uncertain futures at City.
Central midfield is one area that will be strengthened this summer, especially if the likes of Gundogan, Kovacic and Silva move on.
Slightly further forward, City are in the market for a No 10 who can take up the playmaker mantle from De Bruyne.
Left wing is another area where reinforcements are expected, as Guardiola has been left disappointed with Doku and Grealish this term, despite the latter scoring against Leicester.
Guardiola has also asked the City hierarchy to land him a new goalkeeper to replace Ederson, with Ortega’s future up in the air too.
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Targets include Wirtz and Larsson
TEAMtalk revealed on March 17 that Guardiola is preparing for life without Croatia star Kovacic, who is emerging as a top target for Atletico Madrid.
Silva has long been on the radars of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, while San Diego FC have admitted they will struggle to afford De Bruyne, despite the Belgian wanting to move to the US.
TEAMtalk understands that Chelsea are ready to battle Tottenham Hotspur for Grealish as he searches for regular starts.
In terms of potential arrivals, City are ‘serious’ about capturing Bundesliga pair Florian Wirtz and Hugo Larsson. Wirtz would be De Bruyne’s successor, while Larsson would help to replace the likes of Kovacic and Silva.
City have also added Torino keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to their wish list, though Chelsea will put up competition for him.
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Meanwhile, Paul Scholes has discussed the 130 charges the Premier League has brought against City over alleged financial misconduct.
He thinks that a points deduction would be a ‘fair punishment’ if City are found guilty of breaking the league’s rules.
TEAMtalk can confirm that the FA has shortlisted Guardiola as a candidate in case they part ways with England boss Thomas Tuchel after the 2026 World Cup.
Jurgen Klopp and Eddie Howe are also in contention to replace Tuchel, whose main mandate is to win the tournament hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.
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