San Diego sporting director Tyler Heaps says the MLS franchise are unlikely to sign Kevin De Bruyne on a free transfer from Manchester City this summer.
The Belgian is out of contract at the end of the season and he has been tipped to make the move across the pond. However, while Heaps confirmed that he has held “conversations” with De Bruyne’s agent, a deal has been scuppered due to the player’s salary demands:
“Those rumours, I don’t know where they come from. I talked to the agent. The agent has many players, obviously. Every time I see it, I say, ‘Are you the one that is saying all this stuff’?”
“He’s a fantastic footballer and he loves this area. He goes on holidays here every single year, but I’m not sure where that rumour keeps coming from. I’ve had conversations with him, but I’ll tell you what, those wages won’t fit our budget at the moment in terms of what his expectations are.”
How much is De Bruyne currently earning at City?
The 33-year-old has the second-highest wage in the Premier League, taking home around £400,000 a week. Teammate Erling Haaland is the only player who earns more than him.
De Bruyne’s age and form mean that the Cityzens are unlikely to offer him another contract on the same terms, and that has left people doubting whether he will remain at the Etihad.
What has De Bruyne said about his future?
Speaking back in November, the Belgian international said that he decided to put talks over a new deal on hold to focus on recovering from injury. He said he was very relaxed about the situation:
“I am not too obsessed with things but there is not much I can say. I am fine, I am happy, I just want to play football again and we will see. Talks will come, if no talks come it will be my last year. I just want to play good football.”
At the moment, it does look like De Bruyne will be leaving City after ten years but a switch to San Diego doesn’t seem to be on the cards.
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