Following Belgium’s exit from the UEFA Euro Cup in the round of 16 with a 0-1 defeat to France, the tournament came to an end for the Belgian national team. In that competition, De Bruyne scored the decisive goal in Belgium’s 2-0 victory over Romania in the group stage. After the Euros, the focus for De Bruyne has shifted to transfer negotiations. According to renowned journalist Rudy Galetti, “De Bruyne will hold discussions with representatives from Saudi league clubs, with Al-Nassr Riyadh and Al-Hilal Jeddah being the frontrunners to sign the Belgian player.”
It is well-known that De Bruyne has one year remaining on his contract with Manchester City, but contract extension talks have been dragging on. Last summer, links emerged between De Bruyne and Saudi clubs, though no deal materialized. This summer, Saudi teams have once again expressed interest in the 33-year-old, whose ability and form remain undoubted.
Since joining Manchester City in the 2015-16 season, De Bruyne has consistently provided double-digit assists each campaign. Over the past four seasons, he has helped City secure four consecutive Premier League titles and win their maiden UEFA Champions League trophy in the 2022-23 season. In the 2023-24 season, despite featuring in only 26 matches, he scored 6 goals and provided an impressive 18 assists. Currently, De Bruyne’s transfer value is estimated to be around 50 million euros.
Both Al-Nassr Riyadh and Al-Hilal Jeddah boast star-studded squads, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Aymeric Laporte at Al-Nassr, and N’Golo Kante, Fabinho, and Karim Benzema at Al-Hilal. However, neither club claimed the Saudi Pro League title for the 2023-24 season, which was won by Al-Hilal Riyadh.
