Man City 'join the race for £68m-rated Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze' amid Saudi interest in Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City are joining the race for Crystal Palace and England star Eberechi Eze, according to reports. 

City star Kevin De Bruyne has been linked with a move to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League in the last few days, with some reports suggesting the Belgian has agreed to personal terms. 

The Belgian is the creative key to City's prolonged success under Pep Guardiola, and his departure would be a sorely-felt blow to the reigning Premier League champions. 

Eze has now reportedly emerged as a transfer target for Guardiola and Co, according to the Mirror, with the Citizens weighing up a £68million move for the England international midfielder. 

Capable of playing in central midfield and in a more attacking role, Eze would bring great quality in between the lines and fantastic dribbling ability - two key facets of a Guardiola attacking midfielder. 

Tottenham have also been linked with a move for Eze, however the north London outfit would likely struggle to compete with giants City on both a financial scale and the draw for a player. 

While the player may prefer to be battling it out at the top of the table and brushing shoulders with Europe's elite in the Champions League, he still has three years left on his contract in south London. 

Eze has a release clause of £60m plus add-ons according to reports, and it is thought that the Eagles would not be prepared to lose their star for any less. 

His loss would be particularly damaging given the fact they have already lost Michael Olise to Bayern Munich for £52m. 

It is thought that the Citizens are impressed with his low-maintenance personality and temperament, and his ability to play in a number of roles in midfield. 

Reports claim that the Etihad club have a long-term interest in Eze, whose play-style would appear to be a natural fit for Guardiola's side.  

Eze has fast become one of the leading talents in the Premier League outside of the Big Six, and had a brilliant campaign with 11 goals and four assists. 

He proved crucial to helping Oliver Glasner's career at Selhurst Park get off to a flying start, with five goals and two assists in his last six games of the 2023-24 season. 

Reports suggest that De Bruyne is bound for the Saudi Pro League, and is expected to agree a deal with Al-Ittihad, after admitting that the money on offer may be difficult to turn down. 

'I still have one year left on my contract, so I have to think about what could happen,’ he told Het Laatste Nieuws.

‘My eldest is now eight years old and knows nothing but England. He also asks how long I will play for City. Once the moment comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way.

‘At my age you have to be open to everything. You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.’

De Bruyne added: ‘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 even reach that amount yet.

'Then you have to think about what that could mean next. But at the moment I haven’t had to think about that yet.’

The Belgian has been one of the finest layers in Man City history in his nine years at the Etihad since joining from Werder Bremen in 2015, with 102 goals and 170 assists in 382 appearances. 

The idea of leaving Manchester City has been something that De Bruyne said he has spoken about extensively with his wife Michele Lacroix.

Lacroix is said to be receptive to an ‘exotic adventure’, further strengthening suitors’ belief that De Bruyne, who also has interest from MLS clubs, can be enticed by an offer this summer. 

Al-Ittihad have also made an approach to City over Brazil goalkeeper Ederson as the Saudi Pro League look set to continue their push to draw some of Europe's finest talents. 

The Saudi giants already have the likes of Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante on their books, though the latter has been linked with a move back to Europe after his impressive Euro 2024 showings.