Manchester City’s record signing agrees to join Kante, Benzema at Al-Ittihad – report

The Belgium captain’s future with City has been the subject of much speculation in recent months.

De Bruyne has been a key player for City since joining from VfL Wolfsburg in 2015 for a then-club record £54 million.

Over the last nine years, he has scored 102 goals and provided 170 assists in 382 games. His contributions have helped City win six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, and the Champions League in 2023.

Reports from Italy, shared by The Mirror, suggest De Bruyne is eager to join Al-Ittihad. The 33-year-old has only 12 months left on his contract with City, and there is no indication of an extension.

Negotiations between City and the Saudi Pro League club are ongoing. Al-Ittihad, managed by Laurent Blanc, boasts players like N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema, although Benzema may leave this summer.

De Bruyne addressed his future last month, saying, “At my age, you have to be open to everything… If I played there [Saudi Arabia] for two years, I would be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that, I had to play football for 15 years.”

He added, “I may not even reach that amount yet. Then you have to think about what that could mean next. At the moment, I haven’t had to think about that [a summer transfer] yet.”

De Bruyne was a key part of Belgium’s squad at Euro 2024, though they did not perform as expected.