Manchester City fans have been given a hint over Kevin De Bruyne’s future intentions beyond the current campaign.
The Belgium international is into the final three months of his contract at the Etihad Stadium with no firm indication over his plans to extend his time in Manchester.
Both De Bruyne and Pep Guardiola have stated their calmness over the situation with the City boss indicating his veteran midfielder has earned the right to decide his own future.
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The 33-year-old still has a place in Guardiola’s City’s team, after suffering an injury-disrupted 2023/24 campaign, but there appears to be concerns over his physical level.
Guardiola has openly stated one of the issues impacting City’s poor form this season has been the ability of certain players to play two games in three days.
If De Bruyne does leave, a switch to the Saudi Pro League or MLS are options, with the latter lining up ideally with his plan to captain Belgium at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
An exit for De Bruyne would leave a hole in Guardiola’s squad, with the fans favourite arguably established as City greatest-ever player, after winning six Premier League titles and that long-awaited UEFA Champions League crown in 2023.
A switch to the MLS continues to gain traction with San Diego FC Sporting Director Tyler Heaps confirming initial talks have taken place with Dee Bruyne’s agent.
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Kevin De Bruyne to San Diego transfer latest
Despite the 2025 campaign being their first-ever as an MLS club, San Diego are ambitious, and the club want to make a big impact.
Mexico international Hirving Lozano joined on a contract until 2028 as San Diego’s first Designated Player.
With De Bruyne expected to be available on a free transfer in 2025, no fee will be involved, but his current £20.8m [$26.2m] annual wage could be a major barrier to a deal.
Heaps was cagey over the details of San Diego’s interest in De Bruyne, but he flagged wages as the main issue, due to the financial gap between MLS and the EPL.
“Those rumours, I don’t know where they come from. I talked to the agent,” as per quotes from the Manchester Evening News.
“The agent has many players, obviously. Every time I see him, 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. We’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.”
San Diego will keep one designated spot available for De Bruyne – with Anders Dreyer joining Lozano the other DP – as MLS rules allow for just three to be named per squad for the 2025 season.
