Manchester City’s world-class midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is set to join Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad. The player and the club have agreed on a deal.
Italian transfer market journalist Rudi Galletti announced on social media on Thursday (June 4) that “Al Ittihad and the player have reached a verbal agreement. Representatives from the PIF (Saudi sovereign wealth fund) and the club have spoken to the player. The player has approved the transfer.” “Now it’s up to the club. Manchester City are open to letting him go.”
Dubravljani’s move to the Saudi League has been rumored since last summer. Last summer, the Saudi league reportedly made a big offer for the player, which City rejected. City kept him despite the fact that he was set to miss the first half of the 2023-24 season due to injury.
This summer, however, things are different. City are not refusing to sell him. “The club are not ruling out the opportunity to cash in on him,” according to British publication Kurt Offside.
De Bruyne’s contract with City expires next summer. Unless they sign him to a new deal, they will need to sell him this summer to raise funds for a new signing.
His quality is still there, so a new deal is possible, but given his weekly wages, a new contract would be unaffordable for City. His £400,000-a-week wages make him one of the highest paid players in the Premier League. A new contract would require an increase in salary, which is unlikely to happen.
Dubravljener hasn’t denied a move to the Saudi League either, saying he could head there at any time.
“At my age, everything should be open,” he told Belgium’s HLN last month. “I can play for two years and earn a lot of money, which could be the end of my career. But I don’t have to think about that now,” he said.
Dubravljevic arrived at City in the summer of 2015, having played for Chelsea and Bundesliga clubs Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg before his move, but was far from an ace.
A move to Man City changed his life. He played nine seasons for City, making 382 appearances, scoring 102 goals 야설 and providing 170 assists. He became an integral part of Guardiola’s City side and became the highest paid player in the Premier League. He has 112 assists in the Premier League alone, which ranks second on the Premier League’s all-time assists list.
City were at their peak with him. City dominated the Premier League during his tenure, winning six Premier League titles, two English FA Cups, and five League Cups.
In the 2022-2023 season, City reached their peak. Led by Dubravljenovic, City won the club’s first UEFA Champions League title, topped the league and FA Cup, and claimed the club’s first treble. It was only the second time a Premier League club had done so since Manchester United in the 1998-99 season.
City are concerned about his declining form and injuries. At 33 years old, he is on the decline from his prime. He missed the first half of the 2023-24 season due to a long-term injury. It’s hard to rule out a recurrence of the injury.
City are also looking for a successor to Dubravljevic. “City have been looking at Joao Neves (Benfica), Florian Wirz (Leverkusen) and Xavi Simons (PSG) as potential replacements for Dubravka,” explained Kurt Offside.