Representatives of Kevin De Bruyne hold talks with MLS club over potential Manchester City exit | OneFootball

Those working around Kevin De Bruyne have reportedly held conversations with one Major League Soccer club over a potential move Stateside, according to new claims.

There is an element of uncertainty surrounding the legendary Belgian playmaker, as his Manchester City contract approaches it’s final year and no such extension talks having taken place to date.

At 32-years-old, and having played at the Etihad Stadium since the summer of 2015, De Bruyne is the most experienced of Pep Guardiola’s players, and there is a conversation to be had over his status as perhaps the club’s greatest ever footballer.

However, in the here and now, work is likely to commence in the coming weeks over whether Manchester City want to retain the player’s services beyond the end of next season, or bring an end to his Premier League career through a free transfer.

Before such conversations start, De Bruyne’s team have started work of their own, sounding out one potential option for the Belgium international when his Etihad Stadium career does finally come to an end.

That is according to the information of The Athletic’s Tom Bogert, who reveals that De Bruyne’s camp have had one conversation with new Major League Soccer side San Diego FC, with the California city being a place the Belgian would consider if he were to play in the USA.

However, the report clarifies that that is the extent of dealings between the two parties, and any suggestion of a move to San Diego FC being ‘imminent’ is ‘wide of the mark’. Interest from Saudi Pro League sides is likely to remain however.

That has been the feeling for a number of months, with Middle-Eastern football chiefs identifying De Bruyne as an ambitious number one transfer target for the upcoming summer transfer window.

In fact, such is the intent from Saudi Arabia to lure De Bruyne to their ever-developing division of global football stars, that they believe a fee north of £100 million could be required, and the feeling is that they would not shy away from a proposal at that valuation.

For now, Manchester City will continue to put together contingency plans with regards to long-term succession beyond Kevin De Bruyne, and are understood to be keen admirers of Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz in particular.