According to a report by The Athletic, MLS club Chicago Fire has become the new favorite to sign Kevin De Bruyne this summer upon the expiration of his contract with Manchester City. Under the guidance of head coach and general manager Gregg Berhalter, the Fire have shown significant improvement and are reportedly seeking a high-profile acquisition like De Bruyne, following previous rumors linking them to Neymar during the offseason.
The Belgian midfielder has indicated his intention to depart Manchester City after this season, announcing his decision in April. As a key contributor to City`s success, De Bruyne`s services would naturally be in high demand globally after the current campaign concludes. While initially associated with San Diego FC, his MLS discovery rights were later transferred to Inter Miami. However, due to Inter Miami already having their quota of three designated players, adding De Bruyne to their squad would be complicated.
This situation has positioned the Chicago Fire with the priority to negotiate exclusively with De Bruyne in an effort to bring him to their roster. Other MLS teams, including D.C. United and New York City FC, have also reportedly expressed interest, although D.C. United may be focusing their efforts on potentially signing Paul Pogba at this time.
Holding the discovery rights grants the Fire an exclusive window for negotiations, but it does not guarantee that De Bruyne will ultimately join MLS. There is reported interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, and the possibility also remains that he could choose to sign with another Premier League team.
Despite currently sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, the Fire are only two points shy of a playoff position. Their striker, Hugo Cuypers, is performing well and is among the league leaders for the MLS Golden Boot with seven goals in 10 appearances. Under Berhalter, the team is seen as being on an upward trajectory, and acquiring a player of De Bruyne`s caliber would be a significant boost, potentially elevating them into contention for the MLS Cup.
