The Agreement Between Al-Ittihad and Man City Stands Between De Bruyne and the Saudi League

Belgian midfield star Kevin De Bruyne has set his personal conditions for moving to the Saudi club, Al-Ittihad Jeddah, and is waiting for the latter to negotiate with his current club, Manchester City, in order to complete his transfer to the Rushen League.

De Bruyne enjoyed nine years full of titles with Manchester City, where he won 15 titles. If he joins Al-Ittihad, he will be the first major signing for French coach Laurent Blanc, who was appointed as the new technical director for a team that includes notable names such as Frenchmen N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema, and Brazilian midfielder Fabinho.

De Bruyne’s addition will be significant for Al-Ittihad, bringing another big star who played 382 matches for City, scoring over 100 goals (102) and providing 170 assists. He admitted last month that the large sums of money offered by the Saudi League would make it difficult for him to refuse a transfer at this stage of his career.

De Bruyne stated in press remarks: “I still have one year left on my contract, so I have to think about what could happen. At my age, I have to be open to everything. You’re talking about unbelievable amounts of money in what could be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about it. 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 reach that amount yet.”

De Bruyne has already witnessed the transfer of his former Algerian teammate Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahly Jeddah) and Spaniard Aymeric Laporte (Al-Nassr) to the Saudi League, while there is also interest from the Professional League in City’s Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson this summer.

Additionally, Al-Ittihad Club announced that Moaz Faqihi has joined their first football team for four seasons, coming from Al-Hilal after purchasing the remaining share of his contract.

Press sources also indicated that Saleh Al-Shehri will soon arrive at the team’s camp to sign the contract, take official photos, and undergo medical examinations and physical tests before the official announcement and group training.

Al-Ittihad was keen to complete these two deals, particularly to fill the left-back position after selling Zakaria Hawsawi’s contract to Al-Raed and Ahmed Bamasoud’s cruciate ligament injury last season. The club emphasized the necessity of contracting Faqihi to be the first left-back on the team’s roster.

The contract with Saleh Al-Shehri aims to strengthen the front line, especially with Abdul Razzaq Hamdallah’s expected departure and the presence of Karim Benzema alongside the young Talal Haji. This prompted the administration to search for an experienced local striker who could provide depth from the bench or cover for Benzema in case of injury.

NEOM Club, recently promoted to the second division, announced their contract with Egyptian defender Ahmed Hegazy after the end of his contract with Al-Ittihad.

Hegazy (33 years old) left Al-Ittihad by mutual consent after spending four years with the team, during which he had an outstanding career, winning the Professional League title and the Saudi Super Cup.