Kevin De Bruyne may be headed to the Windy City! With Inter Miami out of the running, Chicago Fire are in pole position to sign the Manchester City superstar. Is Chicago about to land the biggest name in MLS history?
Kevin De Bruyne surprised the soccer world in April by announcing that he would be leaving Manchester City at the end of the current season, a club with which he has won six Premier League titles and a Champions League. It had been a brilliant experience all around for many.
Initially, Inter Miami had included the 33-year-old midfielder on their discovery list, but, according to BBC Sport, the Herons have reportedly abandoned that option, clearing the way for Chicago Fire to negotiate with KDB. This opened a new pathway.
Another factor that would have influenced the decision of the team from South Florida is that it already has the three ‘franchise player’ (DP, Designated Player) slots occupied, currently in the hands of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, who would have no plans to leave the franchise, at least during this season. While a blow, the team understands how it must be.
Chicago Fire take the lead
The reason behind the mutual interest is the quality of the project offered. The Belgian would arrive to lead a team that, although it is currently below the middle of the table, dreams of fighting for a Major League Soccer title. Also, according to the aforementioned media outlet, the Citizens player prefers American soccer over the Arab one.
Everything seems to indicate that in the coming days the player’s representatives would meet with Fire authorities to see the next steps to take. There will surely be a long discussion about it.
What is the MLS discovery list?
It is a mechanism that allows league teams to register international players who do not currently belong to Major League Soccer, granting them exclusive rights to negotiate with them.
If another MLS team wants to sign a player who is already on the discovery list of another team, it must negotiate compensation to acquire those rights.
This system was designed to avoid disputes between clubs and to organize the process of incorporating foreign figures into the league, and to provide structure as much as possible. Only time will tell how it works.
