De Bruyne targeted by Saudi SECOND DIVISION club
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 25 Nov 2023 10:40 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is a transfer target for Al-Qadisiyah, a team that plays in the second tier of Saudi football.
It may sound crazy, but according to local media Aawsat, Al-Qadisiyah want to make 32-year-old De Bruyne the figurehead of what they plan to be an exciting project.
While the second-tier club might not be one of the big four Saudi Pro League teams taken over by the country’s Public Investment Fund, which also owns Premier League side Newcastle, but they have recently been taken over by oil company Aramco, who have shown a desire to invest heavily in the team.
Alvaro Fernandez and Luciano Vietto are presently their best-known players, but they are eager to secure the signature of a marquee signing like De Bruyne.
Of course, for this transfer to stand a chance of progressing, promotion is said to be essential to their ambitious plan. This is by no means a guarantee as they presently lie third in Division 1, although the top three go up and they already enjoy a five-point cushion on fourth-placed Al Jabalain.
De Bruyne has been at Manchester City since 2015 but his time at the Etihad could be drawing to a close given that his contract expires in 2025 and his role in the side has been weakened by a recent injury problem that has allowed Julian Alvarez to unexpectedly shine in his place.
De Bruyne the next big star to Saudi?
Numerous major stars are already winding their career down in Saudi Arabia, with Cristiano Ronaldo having led the vanguard last January.
Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are among others who have followed.
De Bruyne’s future is, for the moment, unclear, but what is obvious is that he will have lucrative offers from Saudi should he decide that it’s time to move on from Man City next summer.
