Kevin De Bruyne has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia (Image: Getty)
Al Ittihad have reportedly cooled their interest in Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.
The midfielder has been heavily linked with a Saudi Pro League move this summer after being identified as a player who would accelerate the growth of the competition, alongside Mohamed Salah and Ederson.
De Bruyne further fuelled speculation by suggesting earlier this summer that the money on offer to the Middle East would be hard to turn down at this stage of his career, although City appear to have blocked the midfielder from making the move this summer.
Al Ittihad have reportedly decided to pull out of the race to sign the former Wolfsburg player, according to Rudy Galetti. The Saudi club believe that City's offer for the 33-year-old is “too high” as they were hoping to secure a cut-price deal to secure his services.
De Bruyne is in the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium, prompting belief in Saudi Arabia that he would be available for a reasonable fee.
However, City are not keen on parting ways with their number 17 and have chosen not to reduce their asking price for their captain despite his contract situation, prompting Al-Ittihad to review their pursuit and decide to strengthen in other departments.
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Kevin De Bruyne refuses to rule out Middle East trip (Image: Getty)
Had Al-Ittihad's approach been successful, De Bruyne could have partnered French trio N'Golo Kante, Moussa Diaby and Karim Benzema, with former Liverpool star Fabinho and former Arsenal target Houssem Aouar set to start in midfield alongside Kante next season.
With De Bruyne's situation unresolved, it remains to be seen whether other Saudi Pro League clubs will try to lure him to the Middle East as a free agent next summer. The midfielder is also expected to attract interest from MLS.
De Bruyne would partner N'Golo Kante if he were to join Al Ittihad (Image: Getty)
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On the prospect of joining a Saudi team earlier this summer, he said: “At my age you have to be open to anything. You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what could be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about it. If I play there I can’t afford to lose that much money. [Saudi Arabia] 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 reach that amount yet. Then I will have to think about what that could mean later. But for now, I haven't had to think about it yet.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1930700/Man-City-transfer-news-Kevin-De-Bruyne-Al-Ittihad