Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne is reportedly primed to receive an offer from MLS giants Inter Miami ahead of his confirmed exit from the Etihad this summer.
The 33-year-old announced on Friday that he would not be signing a new deal with the Premier League champions and would depart following 10 years of glittering service at the end of the season.
De Bruyne will be embarking on a new adventure just before his 34th birthday, and his age may limit his opportunities to continue his career at the top level of European football.
One Italian giant has reportedly already ruled out a move for the ex-Chelsea and Wolfsburg man for two reasons, but he could be inundated with offers from Saudi Arabia and MLS.
According to The Mirror, David Beckham is hopeful of bringing De Bruyne to Inter Miami, which would see the 33-year-old join the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in a star-studded squad.
De Bruyne-Messi-Suarez at Inter Miami?
© Imago
The report claims that the Herons already had a fleeting interest in De Bruyne, but they will now accelerate their plans to sign him following confirmation of his imminent Man City departure.
As De Bruyne entered the last six months of his City deal in January, he is currently free to hold conversations with foreign clubs and can sign a pre-contract agreement ahead of the opening of the window.
Beckham and his fellow Inter Miami chiefs are supposedly now ready to make an official contract proposal to the Belgium international, but they will still have to ward off the advances of Saudi Arabia.
De Bruyne reportedly considered jumping ship for the Middle East last summer before electing to see out the last year of his deal at Man City, and he is aware that he would receive a much bigger pay packet in the Saudi Pro League than MLS.
The 33-year-old has contributed four goals and seven assists from 32 appearances for Pep Guardiola's side this season, but he has only made 13 Premier League starting lineups, including in Sunday's 0-0 draw with Manchester United.
De Bruyne may need to take massive pay cut at Inter Miami
© Imago
According to figures from Capology, De Bruyne is on a mammoth £400,000-a-week wage under the terms of his Man City agreement, second only to Erling Haaland and his £525,000 packet.
The midfielder can realistically expect similar figures if he was to make the move to Saudi Arabia, but if he chose Inter Miami instead, he would likely have to accept a massive reduction on his salary.
Messi is unsurprisingly the club's highest-paid player, but even he is earning a comparatively low £181,338 a week, while Jordi Alba and Suarez remarkably make under £25,000 a week.
De Bruyne must therefore decide whether to spend the rest of his playing days raking in the dough in Saudi Arabia, or wowing crowds with Messi and Suarez on a much lower wage; talk about a tough choice.
Ben Knapton
