Pep Guardiola makes statement on Kevin De Bruyne's future amid Saudi links
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has made a statement on Kevin De Bruyne's future after persistent rumours about a move to Saudi Arabia.
De Bruyne, now 33, has attracted interest from Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad.
The club have just appointed Laurent Blanc as new manager and want to bring in more marquee signings to link up with the likes of Karim Benzema and Fabinho, N'Golo Kante and Jota.
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They were reports claiming that De Bruyne, who has admitted the "incredible money" would be difficult to turn down, had agreed personal terms.
Fabrizio Romano denied it was the case, although Al Ittihad's interest is very much real.
De Bruyne is out of contract in 2025 and there has been no talk of a new deal.
But Pep Guardiola is adamant that the Belgium captain will not be departing the Etihad Stadium.
Speaking before City's first pre-season game against Celtic in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Guardiola told a press conference: "Kevin isn’t leaving".
Transfer expert Romano followed up by saying suggestions of an agreement are in fact "fake news".
City goalkeeper Ederson is also being courted by Al Ittihad and there have been some Saudi links with Matheus Nunes.
But Guardiola is not expecting many changes to his squad and believes it is likely the same group as last season remains for the new campaign.
"If someone leaves, we are going to talk about that and, of course, until the last day [of the transfer window] we have chances," he commented.
"I don’t rule out new players as an option, but I think there is an 85, 90, 95% chance we will have the same squad."
The Catalan has said that he wants to keep academy product James McAtee in the first-team next term following two seasons on loan at Sheffield United.
Asked about the 21-year-old, Guardiola replied: "I would love to have, to keep him (James McAtee) next season with us, because he’s a special guy to play in small spaces, in the pockets, and we don’t have many."
Topics: Pep Guardiola, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Kevin De Bruyne, Man City
Josh Lawless