Saudi Arabian dealmakers believe Kevin De Bruyne could be a transformational signing on par with Cristiano Ronaldo, after the Manchester City star revealed he would consider the “incredible amount of money” on offer in the Pro League.
The 33-year-old has long been one of the highest-profile targets at the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund that owns four of the biggest clubs in the Pro League. Saudi Arabian sources have told CBS Sports that he would be considered a major signing who, if enticed to leave City, would have an impact comparable to Ronaldo's arrival at Al-Nassr in January 2023.
Al Nassr were seen as the top contenders to sign De Bruyne had PIF been able to negotiate a deal in the summer of 2023, but there are no guarantees they would be at the front of the queue for a deal this time their owners were negotiated. Al-Hilal will play in the Club World Cup in the US next summer; PIF has previously tried to first strengthen the clubs that will represent Saudi Arabia at international tournaments.
Saudi interest in De Bruyne was not reciprocated by the player last summer, but after an injury-plagued season for the City legend, it appears any interest is now being seriously considered. Representatives of Roc Nation, the agency that works with the Belgium international, were in Saudi Arabia last month for talks with several clubs, including Al-Ittihad.
“At my age you have to be open to everything,” De Bruyne told the Belgian newspaper HLN. “You're talking about incredible amounts of money in what could be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that. If I play there for two years, I can earn an incredible amount of money. For that I had to play football for 15 years, I may not even reach that amount.
“Then you have to think about what that could mean. But I haven't had to think about that yet.”
The emergence of the Saudi Pro League as a potential destination for the sport's biggest names was a major storyline during last summer's transfer window, which saw nearly $900 million spent on transfer fees alone, bringing in the likes of Neymar, Sadio Mane and Karim Benzema came to the club. the country. Saudi sources have indicated that the league does not plan to spend as much money as it seems this year to build a more sustainable league. However, there will always be a hunger within clubs to land big names like De Bruyne.
A notable exception to the restraint could be Al-Qadisah, recently promoted and owned by national oil company Aramco. They have been linked to moves by Alexandre Lacazette and Koen Casteels. Funds could also be made available to strengthen the quality of the competition and to attract interest and audiences beyond the PIF quartet of Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad.
As for De Bruyne, he has won every major club trophy in his nine years, including six Premier League crowns. If he were to stay at the Etihad Stadium for another year and win the title again, he would become the fourth most successful player in the competition's history, behind only Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs for Premier League titles won . The playmaker, twice player of the year for the Professional Footballer, struggled with injuries at the beginning of last season, but still finished in third place in the assist rankings.
“I have another year left on my contract, so I have to think about what could happen,” he said. “My eldest is now eight years old and knows nothing but England. He also asks how long I will play for City. When the time comes, we will have to deal with that in a certain way.”
