Kevin De Bruyne has revealed he is open to a big-money move to Saudi Arabia by saying that, as he nears the end of his career, he might welcome an offer that pays him a life-changing salary.
The Manchester City vice-captain has one year left on his contract and has discussed a move abroad with his family, with his wife Michelle willing to consider it, and his oldest child asking how long he has left at the Etihad Stadium.
De Bruyne, who turns 33 this summer, has made 382 appearances in nine years at City, winning six Premier League titles and one Champions League. But the Belgian has become more injury-prone and missed five months of the current campaign after undergoing hamstring surgery.
He is now wondering what his next move will be and is expected to be a target for the Saudi Pro League, either now or in 2025.
De Bruyne told Het Laatste Nieuws: “Saudi? At my age you have to be open to everything. If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet.
Then you have to think about what that could mean next. But at the moment I haven’t had to think about that yet.
“For my wife, an exotic adventure is okay. I have to think about my future. These are also conversations that we are increasingly having as a family. I still have one year left on my contract, so I have to think about what could happen.
“My eldest [son, Mason] is now eight years old and knows nothing but England. He also asks how long I will play for City. Once the moment comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way.”
De Bruyne’s former teammates Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte both joined Saudi clubs last summer while this year could be City’s last chance to recoup a transfer fee for him.
