De Bruyne is open to a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia when his Manchester City contract expires

BRUSSELS (AP) — Kevin De Bruyne is talking to his family about a possible move to Saudi Arabia as a free agent next year, the Manchester City player said Tuesday.

The Belgium star will have just turned 34 and completed 10 seasons at the English Premier League champions when his contract expires next June.

“You’re talking about incredible amounts of money during what could be the twilight of my career,” De Bruyne he told the Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws when asked if he would consider moving to a Saudi club.

“We’re having more and more conversations like this in the family,” he said, noting that his 8-year-old son “only knows England. He also asks how long I will play for City.”

Saudi league clubs backed by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, have spent hundreds of millions of dollars paying wages and transfer fees to attract top players since Cristiano Ronaldo moved almost 18 months ago.

Karim Benzema and Neymar followed later, although Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé resisted bids last year.

Saudi officials have said they want to focus on signing more young players at the peak of their careers, but an exception would certainly be made for a generational talent like De Bruyne.

His visionary passing, reading of the game and shooting have helped Man City win six Premier League titles in his nine years there so far.

“At my age you have to be open to everything,” De Bruyne said of his future.

He could also attract offers to begin playing in Major League Soccer a year before the United States hosts the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico.

De Bruyne never won a tournament title with Belgium, despite being part of the so-called golden generation of the past decade.

He spoke to Belgian media while in camp in Belgium ahead of the European Championship which starts on June 14 in Germany.

The Red Devils play in a group with Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine.

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