Kevin De Bruyne: 5 clubs chasing departing Man City star | OneFootball

Manchester City's talismanic playmaker Kevin De Bruyne will not be short of suitors when he leaves the Premier League giants this summer.

A new report has named five clubs that are thought to have an interest in the experienced Belgian, including a second-tier side from Saudi Arabia who are believed to have already opened discussions with De Bruyne.

The midfielder turns 34 this summer and announced his decision to leave a club that "will always be home" on Friday. It remains to be seen whether De Bruyne will be called upon by City during the Club World Cup, the knockout stages of which begin after his contract expires on 30 June.

Fellow Club World Cup participants River Plate are one of five teams named by Foot Mercato as potential suitors for De Bruyne. The warring Turkish duo of Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are also floated together with the new MLS franchise San Diego FC.

Runaway Saudi second-tier leaders Neom SC are credited with the most advanced interest in De Bruyne. The extravagantly funded club are said to have enjoyed "positive" initial exchanges with the Belgian and "discussions are continuing".

Neom are poised to earn promotion to the Saudi Pro League this summer, offering De Bruyne the chance to compete against the likes of Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo (if he extends his Al Nassr contract), but less than three years ago they were bouncing around the nation's fourth tier and were known as Al Suqoor.

Taken over by the same well-funded Public Investment Fund (PIF) which has seen Saudi Arabia's top flight collectively spend around £1.4bn on transfers over the past two years - more than Spain's La Liga - Neom boast a budget comparable to any club in the Kingdom.

Former Brentford and West Ham United forward Said Benrahma joined the club on a loan deal for the second half of the 2024/25 campaign from Lyon as just the first of many high-profile arrivals planned. De Bruyne has been billed as the potential figurehead for this new flagship franchise, which represents the entirely artificial city of Neom set to be the crown jewel in Saudi Arabia's ambitious regeneration project known as The Line.

Unlike some of De Bruyne's other suitors, money will be of no object for Neom.