Exclusive: Saudi clubs ready to pay £100m for transfer of Manchester City star, says expert

Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne remains a top transfer target for clubs in Saudi Arabia, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

The experienced Belgium international has achieved pretty much all there is to achieve in the game during a great career with Man City, so it’s perhaps not too surprising to now see talk of him maybe taking up the chance to finish his career on big money at a slightly lower level.

Plenty of big names have moved to Saudi in recent times, and now Jacobs says they’re not afraid of trying an ambitious move for De Bruyne, possibly for as much as £100million.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, Jacobs explained that De Bruyne himself is not perhaps looking as likely to move this summer as it may previously have been expected.

De Bruyne transfer situation explained in exclusive Ben Jacobs column

One issue this summer is Euro 2024, with De Bruyne perhaps not having as much time to agree a deal to Saudi, with the 32-year-old unlikely to be keen on allowing a summer saga to distract him while he’s at a major international tournament.

“Kevin De Bruyne remains a Saudi target, but the Belgian has not yet given any indication yet he wants to leave Manchester City. A transfer is also arguably harder to pull off this summer because of Euro 2024. Players like De Bruyne will only be focused on that tournament and the season will start shortly after,” Jacobs said.

“De Bruyne is not the kind of player that will want uncertainty over his future. If he was to move he would want to do so before the season start rather than at the end of the window. It’s been clear for some time Manchester City want him to extend.

“Saudi dealmakers are prepared to be patient. They will try for De Bruyne in 2025 if they feel it’s a lost cause this summer. But until De Bruyne puts pen to paper, Saudi officials will continue to take meetings with the De Bruyne camp and are prepared to offer over £100m to Manchester City.

“It is an ambitious swoop to pull off, but the Saudi project isn’t afraid to try for these kind of bold moves.”