Manchester City and Belgian superstar midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne, has been linked to a move to the United States and Major League Soccer when his contract with the Premier League giants expires following the 2025 season.
This comes from a report from The Athletic, which divulged that De Bruyne would rather go to MLS than the Saudi Pro League, which has already begun to circle Manchester City for the 32-year-old.
Manchester City has an opportunity to squash such rumors of a move across the pond if they soften their normally stubborn stance on a contract extension for players in their 30s. They most recently let German international and veteran midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, 33, join Barcelona on a free transfer rather than work out a new deal with him.
Granted, there are understandable red flags for City to pursue such a deal. De Bruyne has been hampered by injuries as of late, including a hamstring issue that kept him sidelined for 29 matches.
A move to the United States has become all the more alluring with the arrival of Lionel Messi last year with Inter Miami. It has already attracted other major international stars in the process, including his former Barcelona mates in Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba — all of whom also joined David Beckham’s Miami side.
Swedish international Emil Forsberg joined the New York Red Bulls after a decade of success with Red Bull Leipzig in the Bundesliga. French international and former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris also made his way from Europe to Los Angeles FC.
De Bruyne would likely call for a similar contract to that of Messi’s — something along the lines of $120 million to $150 million over two years. New York City FC (NYCFC) becomes an immediate and logical landing spot for him considering both the MLS side and Manchester City are owned by the City Football Group. It’s that link that allowed NYCFC to land Chelsea legend Frank Lampard in 2015 after he joined Manchester City a year earlier.
Should things go poorly for De Bruyne and Man City when it comes to negotiating his future, however, there might not be such a willingness to stay in the City Football Group family.
It is important to note that NYCFC has not been as aggressive in recent years when it comes to signing legacy players — like Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, or David Villa. Instead, the club has appeared more committed to developing talent from within its own ranks.
Regardless, it is something to keep an eye out for across the next 18 months should his link to the United States strengthen.
