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Feature
- 23 hours ago
De Bruyne heads Saudi second division as Man City axe TEN in massive overhaul
Robin Bairner
- 3 Apr 2025 13:15 BST
- 3 min read
News
Manchester City are planning a huge overhaul of their squad this summer, with Kevin De Bruyne close to completing a move to a Saudi second division side.
Pep Guardiola’s side have been well off the pace both domestically and in Europe this term, and with nothing left to play for beyond securing Champions League qualification, plans are already well underway for mass changes at the Etihad Stadium in the summer.
Current ETV
Kevin De Bruyne
M (C)
Man City
Kevin De Bruyne
M (C)
Man City
ETV Range
€23.9M - €29.2M
De Bruyne is set to be the headline name to leave, with the Belgium legend destined to complete a move to the Saudi second division with Neom, FootMercato reports.
Out of contract in the summer, De Bruyne has attracted interest from numerous clubs, with River Plate, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce all in the running alongside MLS franchise San Diego.
But it is Neom SC who have emerged as the leading candidates to land the 33-year-old after the American side admitted they could not afford him.
“Kevin loves California; he comes here every year on vacation. I've already spoken with him. He doesn't fit into our budget at the moment,” San Diego sporting director Tyler Heaps admitted.
De Bruyne is reported to earn a wage in the region of €24 million per year.
Neom are currently a Division 1 based in Tabuk while the city bearing its name is built by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. Clear at the top of the table, they are likely to be in the top-flight by the time De Bruyne arrives.
De Bruyne the tip of the iceberg as City prepare for mass exodus
De Bruyne is certainly not the only star that Manchester City are bracing themselves to lose, with 10 faces potentially departing Pep Guardiola’s side in the summer.
Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson, Stefan Ortega, John Stones, Bernardo Silva, James McAtee, Jack Grealish, Mateo Kovacic and Jeremy Doku are earmarked to move on in what is increasingly looking like a decisive summer in the future of the club.
