With uncertainty surrounding his participation in the Club World Cup, Kevin de Bruyne is experiencing his final seasons as a Manchester City player, having confirmed he will leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the current season. Since then, he has been linked with various MLS clubs and, according to The Athletic, there is a five-way battle underway to secure the signing of Kevin de Bruyne.

San Diego and Inter Miami Struggling to Sign De Bruyne

Even before confirming his departure from Manchester City, rumors had already been circulating about the possibility of San Diego FC being the destination Kevin de Bruyne would choose to end up in MLS. However, those rumors have cooled down in recent weeks... and Tyler Heaps, sporting director of San Diego FC, crushed fans’ hopes. “I’ve spoken to him, but I’ll tell you one thing: that salary doesn’t fit into our budget,” he admitted in statements to The Sun.

Obviously, considering he was the highest-paid player in the Premier League until Haaland’s latest contract renewal, Kevin de Bruyne’s financial demands to join MLS will be steep. This, according to The Athletic, works against Inter Miami’s intentions of signing him—especially since they have very little salary cap space due to the presence of four stars like Messi, Suárez, Busquets, and Jordi Alba.

Chicago Fire, DC United, and NYCFC Join the Race for De Bruyne

The financial difficulties San Diego FC and Inter Miami are facing in signing De Bruyne have opened the door for other MLS clubs to jump into the race for his signature. Among them, as reported by Fabrizio Romano in recent hours, is Chicago Fire. However, The Athletic also confirmed that DC United is very interested in securing a player of Kevin de Bruyne’s caliber.

That said, on top of all these clubs’ interest, there’s also what would seem the most logical move in Kevin de Bruyne’s career within the City Group structure: signing with New York City. Without a doubt, they are the ones with the strongest case to convince him. In any case, what seems more certain with each passing day is that Kevin de Bruyne will play in MLS. The question remains: where? The five-way battle is on.