Kevin De Bruyne “agrees to personal terms to join professional league team Al-Ittihad”

• Kevin De Bruyne has reportedly agreed to personal terms for a move to Al-Ittihad
• The Man City playmaker’s contract at the Etihad only has one year left to run.
• De Bruyne had previously indicated that he was “open” to a move to the Saudi Pro League.

Kevin De Bruyne has reportedly agreed to a move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.

After spending almost a decade at the Etihad, the Belgian midfielder’s current contract with the club expires at the end of the 2024–25 season.

Mail Sport reported in February that De Bruyne was being tipped as a top target for the up-and-coming Saudi Pro League side and that officials were ready to step up their efforts to sign the Champions League winner this summer.

And according to a report by journalist Rudy Galetti, Al-Ittihad has done just that: the club is said to have reached an agreement with De Bruyne on a transfer.

The report further claims that Al-Ittihad and City are currently in negotiations over a transfer fee for the 33-year-old, who joined Manchester from Wolfsburg for £55 million in 2015.

Al-Ittihad recently appointed former French national team and Manchester United defender Laurent Blanc as their new coach and boasts several notable names in their ranks, including N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Fabinho.

However, despite major investments last summer, the club, owned by the Public Investment Fund, only managed to finish fifth in the league, more than 40 points behind undisputed league leader Al-Hilal.

This came after they won the Pro League in the previous season. In the 2023–24 season, Al-Ittihad also parted ways with Nuno Espirito Santo as coach.

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However, signing De Bruyne would be a major coup for the club, as the 33-year-old has had nine impressive years at the Etihad.

In 382 appearances for City, the Belgian scored 102 goals, provided 170 assists and won 15 trophies with the club.

However, the Middle Eastern links come after De Bruyne admitted last month that he would find it difficult to turn down a potential late-career move given the high fees on offer.

“I still have a year left on my contract, so I have to think about what could happen,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws.

“My eldest is eight years old now and knows nothing except England. He also asks how long I will continue to play for City. When the moment comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way.”

“At my age, you have to be open to everything. Incredible sums of money are at stake, perhaps the end of my career. You have to think about that sometimes.”

De Bruyne added: “If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that, I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount.”

“Then you have to think about what that might mean next. But I haven’t had to think about that at the moment.”

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De Bruyne said he had spoken at length with his wife Michele Lacroix about the idea of ​​leaving Manchester City.

Lacroix is ​​said to be receptive to an “exotic adventure”, which further reinforces the belief among interested parties that De Bruyne, who is also interested in MLS clubs, could be enticed with an offer this summer.

Meanwhile, Pro League sporting director Michael Emenalo – who signed De Bruyne for Chelsea from Genk in 2012 – attended one of City’s training sessions during the Club World Cup before Christmas and kept a close eye on the midfielder.

De Bruyne’s former teammates Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte have already moved to Saudi Arabia with City and the Pro League is also showing interest in City goalkeeper Ederson this summer.