Kevin De Bruyne contract stance and Man City state of play amid Saudi transfer admission

Kevin De Bruyne's Manchester City future is likely to be one of the major Etihad talking points of the summer.

The playmaker is into the final 12 months of his deal and this week spoke in his homeland of needing to keep an open mind on his future amid intensifying links with a switch to the Saudi Pro League. At 32, the Belgian must consider his next move carefully and is unlikely to net a long-term deal with City.

Pep Guardiola's men would love to keep him at the Etihad and he remains a key player on and off the pitch. But with age creeping up on him and the temptation of a move to Saudi Arabia seemingly on the table, there remains some uncertainty. Here's the current state of play.

ALSO READ: "I have to think": De Bruyne casts doubt on City future

ALSO READ: Ten City wonderkids who could save the club millions in the next two years

City's stance on De Bruyne

De Bruyne remains hugely important to City. Even when not playing last season, he had a major part in the squad meeting in December to improve standards that led another Premier League title and his leadership qualities will be difficult to replace.

Then there's the football. Nobody in world football can find a pass like De Bruyne and his performances in some of the biggest games were a testament to how comfortable he is when the pressure is at its highest.

That said, De Bruyne is only capable of being that good when he isn't injured and the record will be a concern. With another international tournament in the summer, when he arrives back for pre-season aged 33 he may need some managing.

City have rarely stood in a player's way when they have wanted to leave so if De Bruyne agitated to move that could move the situation on. As it is, it is not uncommon to run down a contract into the final year as they have done before with Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan.

There will need to be a strategy beyond that year though given how essential De Bruyne has been to the team. Guardiola has said that Phil Foden could be the long-term replacement, but there will also need to be an eye on the market.

De Bruyne's stance on City

De Bruyne stood on a platform in the city centre after City's title win in 2022 and declared that he would see out his contract to make it 10years as a Blue. "I've got another three years here, I'm definitely going to stay," he said. "This is where I want to be, where I want to win trophies, this is where we want to go."

That contract had been earned in part by De Bruyne commissioning an analytical report into his worth to show City how important he was, and the Belgian will want the very best from his next deal. With a happy family in Manchester, it would take something extraordinary to see him not stay for at least the rest of this contract.

Saudi Pro League interest

As reported elsewhere, there is interest from Saudi Arabia in making De Bruyne the biggest name to join the league since Cristiano Ronaldo. There are certainly the funds there to offer both player and club something extraordinary, and Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte both completed deals to teams there last season so City have experience in dealing with similar negotiations.

Convincing De Bruyne to leave will be a bigger hurdling block than finding a price with City, who could even make a profit on a player they signed nine years ago. And it will have to be that way around, for De Bruyne will be kept at the Etihad as long as he is happy to stay.