Prefers MLS over Saudi 

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Kevin De Bruyne could become the latest aging star to depart Europe for Major League Soccer. Previously, San Diego FC were heavily interested but moved away from potentially signing De Bruyne. That opened the door for other MLS clubs, with The Athletic reporting in April that Inter Miami CF, New York City FC, D.C. United and the Chicago Fire were now pursuing the Belgian superstar. According to a report by Paul Tenorio from The Athletic on Friday, the Chicago Fire now lead the race to sign De Bruyne. 

Rumour
	K. De Bruyne
	Attacking Midfield
Man City   93 % Chicago Premier League Major League Soccer

Inter Miami CF initially held the advantage. The Beckham-owned club owned De Bruyne’s discovery priority rights in MLS. That mechanism gave Miami priority in negotiating a deal with De Bruyne. But Miami would struggle to fit the 33-year-old under the salary cap. In Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, Inter Miami currently have three Designated Players (DPs) under contract. With that in mind, the priority rights moved on to the Fire, and the Chicago club is now in prolonged talks to sign De Bruyne, who with a market value of €27 million would become the most valuable player in MLS ahead of Messi and Riqui Puig (overview).  

Does that mean De Bruyne will end up in MLS? “I’m open for anything, anything, just because I have to look at the whole picture,” De Bruyne said when asked about his future in April. “I’m looking at sporting, family, everything together, what makes the most sense for me and my family. I don’t know what that is, because it depends on when you speak to people and what they say about projects or something, like I said, I still feel like I can play at a good level, but then after I’ll have to make a decision once I really know a little bit more.”

Kevin De Bruyne to the Chicago Fire? MLS move is a priority over Saudi Arabia

What are the chances of the Chicago Fire landing De Bruyne? According to multiple reports, De Bruyne prefers a move to MLS over a transfer to Saudi Arabia. But the Belgian national team player also has options in Europe.  Aston Villa were among the Premier League teams interested in De Bruyne. Transfermarkt also understands that multiple German clubs have shown an interest in returning De Bruyne to the Bundesliga, where he kicked off his career at Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg. 

Either way, adding De Bruyne would be a significant achievement for a Chicago Fire fighting for relevancy. The Fire are in a bit of a rebuild under new head coach Gregg Berhalter. That rebuild has already shown ambitions with the club trying to bring Neymar to North America ahead of the season. The Brazilian ultimately opted to join Santos instead. But it highlights the club’s desire to bring in a true star player for the first time since German World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger arrived in 2017. 

In terms of fit, De Bruyne would make sense as well. Although in the twilight of his career, De Bruyne is still a productive player. The Transfermarkt database reveals that he still managed three goals and seven assists in 24 Premier League games this season. The Fire signed Belgian striker Hugo Cuypers last season, and the 28-year-old leads the league with seven goals in ten games (overview). Adding a top chance creator and midfield motor like De Bruyne could further accelerate Chicago’s attack.