Pep Guardiola makes Kevin De Bruyne contract demand as Manchester City outline asking price amid Saudi Arabia interest | OneFootball

Manchester City have a rough outline with regards to a potential asking price for Kevin De Bruyne this summer, should they opt to entertain offers for the midfielder.

The 32-year-old has reestablished himself as being one of the most feared forces in the Premier League, returning from injury to provide a goal and assist in a 25-minute cameo appearance against Newcastle United this month.

That outing followed an assist-providing substitute appearance against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup third round, confirming De Bruyne’s status as being match-fit for a crucial phase of Manchester City’s season.

However, not all is back to normal in the world of Kevin De Bruyne, with reports continuing to speculate over the player’s longer-term future amid a current Manchester City contract agreement that is set to expire in 2025.

Saudi Arabia’s continued pursuit of disrupting the global game with huge investments in Europe’s biggest stars is likely to see them move towards the City playmaker, but the player’s willingness to remain at the Etihad Stadium could prove telling.

According to the information of Ben Jacobs, with Kevin De Bruyne being one of Saudi Arabia’s most high-profile targets ahead of the 2024 summer transfer window, the midfielder’s camp has already been approached with both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal expressing an interest.

The Belgium international is currently contracted at Manchester City until the summer of 2025, but should the Premier League champions decide to entertain offers for the 32-year-old in the coming weeks, Etihad bosses would reportedly expect a transfer fee of over £100 million.

With regards to the view from manager Pep Guardiola, Jacobs reports that the Catalan coach still wants to see Kevin De Bruyne extend his contractual agreement with last season’s Treble winners beyond 2025.

Regardless of Kevin De Bruyne’s future and the slim possibility of a move elsewhere, Manchester City transfer bosses will already be eyeing up their successor to the legendary Belgian midfielder.

There is an understanding that some within the Etihad, including manager Pep Guardiola, are huge fans of talents from within the Bundesliga, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala named as possible targets.

Whether or not Manchester City opt to make moves for either player in the coming summer transfer window remains to be seen, however conversations will undoubtedly be ongoing about their credentials to replace such a crucial cog in Pep Guardiola’s system.