After a successful spell in the English top flight, Kevin De Bruyne looks set for a career reboot Stateside – although he won’t be lining up as a new ‘Galactico’ at Inter Miami as earlier predicted.
According to the latest reports, Major League Soccer (MLS) side Chicago Fire are now favourites for the signature of the departing Manchester City midfielder after Inter Miami dropped their interest in the player.
Sources say Chicago Fire’s representatives are keen to bring De Bruyne on board – with the player favoring a move to the United States over other leagues.
A proven player, De Bruyne, 33, would be a welcome acquisition to Chicago Fire, who currently sit 11th in the Eastern Conference, with pundits pointing to injuries as the reason the Cityzens decided to let him go.
The star has won 16 trophies at Etihad Stadium, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League, scoring 108 goals in his 418 appearances for the club.
Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano first revealed Miami’s interest in De Bruyne in mid-April following the news that the English side would not be renewing the Belgian international’s contract at the end of this season.
Considered one of the best Premier League players in recent years, De Bruyne’s free-agent status was certain to arouse the interest of top clubs around the world, with the South Florida side appearing to have locked out competition in the MLS after acquiring the Belgian star’s ‘discovery rights’.
According to ESPN, the MLS discovery process allows each MLS team to list up to five players that they have the initial right to negotiate with for potential signings, streamlining the acquisition of international talent and preventig conflicts between clubs.
GiveMeSport reports that De Bruyne’s discovery rights were initially held by MLS debutants San Diego FC, but the club removed him from their list earlier this year “after determining that the player did not fit their plans.”
This paved the way for Inter Miami, where it looked certain De Bruyne would link up with fellow former Champions League winners Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets.
However, the BBC now reveals that despite the club having until mid-July to hold talks with De Bruyne, they would not be pursuing the negotiations, handing Chicago Fire the first option to land the services of the player.
No reason has been given for Inter Miami’s decision to withdraw from the race to sign De Bruyne after registering him. Still, speculation exists that the move is a tactic to force Chicago Fire into a trade for the player’s rights, which, according to ESPN, is how teams build rosters and make money in MLS.
