Kevin De Bruyne's stance on leaving Man City for big-money Saudi move revealed

Kevin De Bruyne's stance on potentially leaving Manchester City for Saudi Arabia has been revealed.

Manchester City have been unable to call upon De Bruyne for much of this season, but since returning from injury he has reminded everyone just how good he is.

The Belgian midfielder has scored two goals and provided eight assists in 11 appearances since recovering from the hamstring issue that kept him out for over four months.

De Bruyne is arguably the best player in the Premier League right now, yet his future at the Etihad Stadium is far from certain.

The 32-year-old has 18 months remaining on his current City contract, and there are rumours circling that Saudi Arabian clubs could make a huge effort to sign him in the summer.

According to The Athletic, De Bruyne was offered €70million per year (£59.7m, $75.7m at current rates) to join a Saudi Pro League side last summer, but like City teammate Bernardo Silva, he turned down the opportunity.

The Athletic's City correspondent Sam Lee has shared that while City have not opened talks regarding a new contract yet, the Belgian midfielder had planned to sign a new deal and potentially retire at the club at around the age of 35.

De Bruyne may still have that intention, but the main reason he looks set to snub Saudi Arabia once again is that he and his family are not particularly keen on the move.

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Lee also shared that De Bruyne has always considered retiring at a Major League Soccer franchise, should he not hang up his boots at City.

Saudi clubs will still be hopeful heading into the summer though. The Pro League’s sporting director, Michael Emenalo, has a personal link to De Bruyne, having helped Chelsea sign him from Genk back in 2012.

Whether or not City offer De Bruyne a new contract that he is satisfied with could depend on how he continues to recover from his serious hamstring injury, and if they see him being able to play at his best at 34 and beyond.

Topics: Manchester City, Kevin De Bruyne, Saudi Arabia, Premier League, Major League Soccer, Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton