Man City ready to reward De Bruyne with new deal amid £1m-a-week Saudi interest
Manchester City want to reward Kevin De Bruyne for his loyalty by offering the master midfielder a contract extension.
De Bruyne could earn £1million-a-week by jumping on the Saudi Pro League bandwagon. But the 33-year-old Belgian loves life at the Etihad - and his three young children call Manchester home.
De Bruyne still has 18 months of his current £375,000-a-week contract to run. But City are planning to strike a deal that will take him to the summer of 2026 - and take him beyond a decade of service.
The former Chelsea midfielder returned from a five-month injury lay-off last week to inspire the champions to a crucial 3-2 win at Newcastle with a goal and an assist.
De Bruyne believes the lay-off has given him more energy and focus. He said: "I might have needed that to get everything back on track. Mentally it has just become calm - having no stress for a few months makes a difference."
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City boss Pep Guardiola was delighted to have his talisman back, heaping praise on the midfielder after the Magpies win. He said: "Kevin is a legend. He is loved by our people and, hopefully, in the last months he can help us be there to the end."
He added: "We need players like Kevin. We need him to do something special in the final third. That is not tactical ability but talent, individual talent. I think everybody agrees we made a really good performance against such a physical team in Newcastle.
"They made good transitions and, after taking the lead [through Bernardo Silva], we conceded two goals but after that talent made the difference. At half‑time, I told the players: 'You are amazing, stick together and we will do it.' It was really important to win because Liverpool are flying and we have to go to Anfield so it’s better to be close the them."
Questions were asked when City paid Wolfsburg £55million in 2015 for a player who failed to make the grade at Chelsea. But De Bruyne is in the argument to be remembered as the best midfielder of the Premier League era, helping City win five titles as well as the Champions League, two FA Cups and five EFL Cups.
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