Kevin De Bruyne’s representatives line-up talks with MLS side as Manchester City exit nears | OneFootball

Representatives of Manchester City’s outgoing club captain Kevin De Bruyne are due to meet with officials from one Major League Soccer side in the coming days.

De Bruyne is due to bid farewell to the 2023 treble winners at the end of the season and it remains up in the air as to where the 33-year-old will be playing next term after being told he has no future at the Etihad Stadium.

The Belgian is understood to be keen on staying in Europe whilst holding a preference of settling his family in the United States over Saudi Arabia as clubs across the world look to tempt the six-time Premier League winner into a lucrative deal.

Manchester City are believed to have been informed of De Bruyne’s desire to not feature at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States to rest and recover and assess offers as he embarks upon the next chapter of his career.

Aston Villa have held internal talks over a swoop for De Bruyne whilst Chelsea, who signed the midfielder from Genk in 2012, are not prioritising a move for the decorated playmaker, who is out of contract at the Etihad Stadium on June 30.

David Beckham’s Inter Miami have relinquished first rights to hold conversations with De Bruyne, who has been in fine form for Manchester City in recent weeks as the Blues look to secure a third-place Premier League finish and win the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.

According to a new wide-ranging report from BBC Sport, The Chicago Fire are now in pole position to sign Kevin De Bruyne on a free transfer this summer as they have the first option for talks and the player’s representatives are to meet with club officials from the MLS side.

It is also pointed out that De Bruyne’s representatives have previously spoken with clubs from Saudi Arabia, although a move to the Middle East is deemed ‘unlikely’ as the midfielder prefers a move to the USA or Europe for ‘family lifestyle reasons’.

De Bruyne has spoken at length in interviews since confirming his exit in April, relaying his disappointment at the club deciding against offering the midfielder a new deal – which he feels is largely down to a collective drop-off from Pep Guardiola’s squad this season.

However, the Belgium international has not sulked and has been pivotal to City’s resurgence in the business end of the season, playing a starring role in an emphatic 5-2 beating of Crystal Palace and scoring a crucial winner in a 1-0 win over Wolves last week.

Pep Guardiola has identified Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz as an ideal replacement for De Bruyne and incoming sporting director Hugo Viana is also leading a move for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White to begin the summer transfer window in strong fashion.