Manchester City star, Kevin De Bruyne, is reportedly on the verge of a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.
The Belgian midfielder, who has been a fixture at the Etihad for nearly a decade, is set to see his current contract expire at the end of the upcoming season.
Mail Sport had previously reported in February that De Bruyne was a prime target for the rapidly expanding Saudi Pro League, with officials preparing to intensify their efforts to secure his signature.
According to journalist Rudy Galetti, Al-Ittihad have now reached an agreement with De Bruyne on personal terms for the transfer.
Discussions are ongoing between the clubs regarding a transfer fee for the 33-year-old, who joined Manchester City from Wolfsburg in 2015.
Should the deal go through, De Bruyne would join stars like Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante at Al-Ittihad.
Managed by former France and Manchester United defender Laurent Blanc, Al-Ittihad features notable players such as N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, Fabinho, and Jota.
Despite their heavy spending last summer, the club finished fifth in the league, trailing over 40 points behind champions Al-Hilal.
In a recent interview with Belgian media, De Bruyne acknowledged that the substantial financial offers from the Middle East could be difficult to ignore as he nears the end of his career.
“I still have one year left on my contract, so I have to think about what could happen,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws.
“My eldest is now eight years old and knows nothing but England. He also asks how long I will play for City. Once the moment comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way. At my age you have to be open to everything. You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.”
De Bruyne also reflected on the financial aspect of a potential move, stating, “If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet. Then you have to think about what that could mean next. But at the moment I haven’t had to think about that yet.”
