- Manchester City are set to receive offers from Saudi clubs for Kevin De Bruyne
- De Bruyne’s City contract is set to expire at the conclusion of next season
- While Pep Guardiola is at Manchester City, it’s going to be difficult for anybody to knock them off their perch – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Manchester City are set to field bids for Kevin De Bruyne as the top Saudi Pro League clubs step up interest in landing the world’s best creator.
The 32-year-old is seen as the player to further lift the division’s appeal and Mail Sport has learned that officials are intensifying their efforts to tempt him away from the Premier League.
De Bruyne’s contract expires at the end of next season and he is yet to offer an indication on his future plans. Talks over fresh terms with the Treble winners have not started.
De Bruyne has been in stunning form for City since returning from hamstring surgery with seven assists and two goals to his name in seven appearances.
Four of those were off the bench, underlining his impact on Pep Guardiola’s team, but De Bruyne sat out the midweek victory over Brentford with a niggle in the hamstring.
Manchester City are set to receive bids from Saudi Pro League clubs for Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne’s current contract with Pep Guardiola’s City expires at the end of next season
He is expected to travel with the City team for Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth before they face Luton Town in the FA Cup fifth round at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday. ‘I don’t know if he’s 100 per cent but we took good decisions not to take a risk against Brentford,’ Guardiola said.
‘I know if the result was not good people would ask why he didn’t play but we took a decision because he didn’t feel comfortable.’
Sports director of the Pro League, Michael Emenalo, attended one of City’s training sessions during the Club World Cup before Christmas as De Bruyne worked on his comeback from five months out.
Emenalo – who signed De Bruyne at Chelsea from Genk in 2012 – accepted an invite to watch and sat alongside City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund own majority stakes in Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and…