Huge announcement made on De Bruyne’s future

Robin Bairner

22 Feb 2025 15:20 GMT
3 min read

Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City — © IMAGO/FootballTransfers

Manchester City face the prospect of losing Kevin De Bruyne in the summer, with the Premier League legend close to agreeing a move to MLS.

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De Bruyne is closing in on a move to San Diego FC in what promises to be a major coup for the US side.

The Belgian will become a free agent at the end of the season when his contract expires, and with time apparently starting to catch up with the former Chelsea and Wolfsburg star, a switch to MLS looks an increasingly viable move.

Contract talks between De Bruyne and San Diego are said to be “progressing”, according to TBR Football, with the American side said to be optimistic of landing the player in time for him to join midway through their debut season.

San Diego are poised to play their first competitive MLS match as an expansion franchise on 23 February against the LA Galaxy, with Hirving Lozano as their main star.

STATS

Kevin De Bruyne

M (C)

Man City

Kevin De Bruyne

M (C)

Man City

17

Games
2

Goals
6

Assists

The Belgium international star has had a quiet campaign compared to those he has enjoyed in the past. He has registered just six Premier League assists and a couple of goals in 17 outings, during which he has been hampered by injury concerns.

In previous campaigns, he has been a leader when it comes to being decisive both in terms of scoring and creation. De Bruyne jointly holds the record for most assists in a Premier League season, having generated 20 for Man City during the 2020/21 season – a joint record with Thierry Henry.

City lining up De Bruyne replacement

Man City are bracing themselves for De Bruyne’s exit, with interest in Atalanta star Charles De Ketelaere eyed as a potential replacement.

The 23-year-old has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €42.2 million, with Arsenal previously linked with a player styled as the ‘Dutch Ibrahimovic’.