Kevin De Bruyne subject to blockbuster Saudi Arabia interest as Manchester City future stance revealed

Manchester City’s vice-captain Kevin De Bruyne is at the centre of a strong pursuit from Saudi Arabia, and has already turned down an approach from the Middle-East.

The 32-year-old is fast approaching a decade of service in sky blue, but continues to play an integral role in the plans of Pep Guardiola as he and the club pursue a fourth successive Premier League crown and a successful defence of their Champions League title.

But as the Belgium international captain ages, questions continue to intensify over what could possibly come next for De Bruyne and whether a further contract extension could be in store for one of Manchester City’s all-time greats.

Now, a series of reports have detailed an approach to De Bruyne and his representatives to try and lure him away from the ongoing glistening trophy hunt at Manchester City in favour of a fresh challenge alongside some of football’s most well-known stars.

In a bumper update provided on his official YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has revealed details behind a Saudi Arabian push during the early stages of the summer transfer window for Kevin De Bruyne.

Fabrizio Romano explained, “For Kevin De Bruyne, there was a very important proposal from Saudi at the beginning, the very beginning of the summer transfer window – right after the Champions League final.

“De Bruyne was approached by Saudi clubs, but he said, ‘No thanks. At this moment of my career, I want to continue in Europe and to fight for titles at Manchester City’. So, De Bruyne said no.”

The Sun have also reported on Saudi Arabian interest in Kevin De Bruyne, revealing the Belgian’s stance on his Manchester City future, and plans during the twilight phase of his top-level professional career.

It is claimed that De Bruyne will knock back any offers to join the Saudi Arabian league as he wants to finish his career at Manchester City. The player himself is said to feel that he can play at the top level ‘well into his thirties’.

The report continues by stating that Kevin De Bruyne will base any future decisions around the fact he has a young family and is happy with life in Manchester. However, if he ever does leave the Etihad, sources are quoted as saying that he will stay in Europe.

Manchester City have become more than familiar with the pursuit of Saudi Arabia on Europe’s finest footballing stars, having successfully negotiated the sale of two players to the developing Middle-Eastern league.

Riyad Mahrez became the first to leave the Etihad in favour of warmer weather in a deal understood to be worth a total of £35 million, while Aymeric Laporte also brought an end to an emotional stay at the Etihad by joining Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr for £22 million.

Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo – both of whom faced uncertainty at the Etihad Stadium over the course of the summer – rejected proposals from Saudi clubs, while the latter ultimately opted to join FC Barcelona on an initial 12-month loan deal with no option to buy.