Manchester City reportedly have no intention of parting ways with Kevin De Bruyne for anything less than £100m.
The playmaker has spent the last eight-and-a-half years at the Etihad Stadium, contributing an astonishing 98 goals and 161 assists from 367 appearances in all competitions.
Such numbers have cemented De Bruyne as one of City's and the Premier League's greatest players of all time, but he has now reached a stage where he has less than 18 months remaining on his contract.
Furthermore, the 32-year-old missed the majority of the first half of 2023-24 having been required to undergo a hamstring operation.
De Bruyne has since returned to playing a leading role in keeping City on the coattails of Liverpool in the Premier League title race, albeit with Pep Guardiola taking minimal risks on him over the past week.
© Reuters
Nevertheless, a scenario is seemingly certain to ensue where City want to extend De Bruyne's contract and clubs from the Saudi Pro League remain keen to attract the Belgium international to the Middle East.
According to talkSPORT, City currently have few concerns over De Bruyne opting to move to Saudi Arabia at the end of the season.
The report indicates that City would not consider a sale unless they receive a proposal worth at least £100m, despite De Bruyne being close to entering the final year of his current terms.
A different report from HITC says that there is a willingness from all parties to discuss a new contract for the long-serving creator.
© Reuters
City have seemingly been left encouraged that De Bruyne wants to entertain negotiations at this stage rather than choosing to assess his options come the summer.
That said, De Bruyne reportedly holds a desire to play in MLS at some stage in his career, a factor that may play a part in discussions.
In the short term, City and Guardiola will hope to be able to select De Bruyne in the starting lineup for Tuesday's FA Cup fifth-round clash at Luton Town.
De Bruyne was restricted to being introduced as an 84th-minute substitute as City overcame Bournemouth by a 1-0 scoreline on Saturday evening, moving back to within one point of Premier League leaders Liverpool in the standings.
