(Football news) Due to injuries, the 33-year-old missed the first half of the previous season but made a comeback to play a crucial role for Manchester City in the later stages of the Premier League season.

In 26 games for the Citizens the previous season, the Belgian managed to score six goals and dish out eighteen assists.

De Bruyne will be 34 years old when his contract at the Etihad Stadium expires in 2025. Therefore, if the chance presents itself, the Premier League winners may think about making a push for the outstanding playmaker this summer.

The Belgian international has recently been strongly connected to a move to the Saudi Pro League, and it appears that the Middle East move could take place this summer.

Kevin De Bruyne agrees to join Saudi Pro League giant?

Manchester City star De Bruyne has now reached a ‘verbal agreement’ to join Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad ahead of the 2024-25 season.

The journalist claimed that representatives from the Saudi Pro League club and the PIF delegation spoke to the player, who reportedly agreed to move to the Middle East.

It is understood that Al-Nassr, home of Cristiano Ronaldo, Aymeric Laporte and Sadio Mane, are also interested in the City midfielder, but Al Ittihad are believed to be the frontrunners to secure the Belgian’s signature.

The report added that De Bruyne’s fate is now ‘up to the club’, with the Premier League champions reportedly ‘open’ to letting the 33-year-old leave the Etihad this offseason.

Speaking to the media last month, De Bruyne commented about the possibility of moving to the Pro League. He said: “At my age, you have to be open to everything.

“You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.

“If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that, I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet.

Manchester City planning for life after De Bruyne

Some sources have suggested that City are already planning for the Belgian’s departure and are keeping an eye on Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala as his potential replacement.

The German international has been a standout performer for Die Mannschaft at the Euros so far this year and scored 10 goals while providing six assists in 24 Bundesliga matches for the Bavarians last season.

There have also been rumours that Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz is another player on the radar of City’s recruitment team.

De Bruyne has enjoyed an incredible spell with the Citizens since arriving from Wolfsburg in 2015.

During his time in Manchester, he has won six Premier League titles, five EFL Cups, two FA Cups, the Champions League, along with the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

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