Kevin De Bruyne to join the Chicago Fire or Napoli
Kevin De Bruyne was given a hero's send-off at the Etihad Stadium this week as his Manchester City side defeated AFC Bournemouth 3-1 in the Premier League. It could have been sweeter for De Bruyne as he missed an open goal to get on the scoresheet. The Belgian now has one more game for City; away to Fulham this Sunday, where Pep Guardiola's side can secure Champions League qualification with a win.
It remains undecided where De Bruyne will play next season. However, it appears to be a choice between MLS and Serie A. Fabrizio Romano posted on X: "De Bruyne will make decision soon on his next club. Napoli have made important contract proposal to KDB — and they’d be ready to close the deal any moment from now. Chicago Fire bid remains on the table as revealed since April. KDB will decide with his family."
San Diego FC were priced out of signing De Bruyne, so the Chicago Fire's offer must be a very lucrative one. The Fire are desperate to add a star name to their ranks after missing out on Neymar when he returned to Santos. Gregg Berhalter's side is currently ninth in the Eastern Conference, so they could do with having De Bruyne to improve their roster.
De Bruyne is still a Belgian international, though, so staying in Europe and playing at the highest level would be a motivating factor for him. Napoli can win Serie A tomorrow if they defeat Cagliari. Joining a title-winning team of one of European soccer's top five leagues and playing in the Champions League next season will still be very tempting for the midfielder.
Lionel Messi's contract negotiations stall
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have endured a frustrating start to the season. They are slipping down the Eastern Conference table with three defeats, one win and one draw in their last five games. Miami were also knocked out of the Champions Cup by the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Messi has still scored 10 goals, with three assists in 17 matches in all competitions, but he does not seem to be enjoying his soccer. Messi was recently critical of the refereeing standards in MLS, and now contract talks between him and Miami have stalled.
talkSPORT has quoted the journalist Diego Monroig saying, "The negotiations started in November, it still exists, but it’s stalled right now due to details and conditions. The intention is to make use of the option for one more year so that Messi can stay at Inter Miami while preparing for the next World Cup."
Miami need to keep Messi happy if he is to stay. That could be by signing more star players, such as his former Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain teammate Angel Di Maria. However, Javier Mascherano's side could do with signing younger players who can do the running for their legendary players.
Giorgos Giakoumakis wants to return to Celtic
Giorgos Giakoumakis was a very good player for Atlanta United. The Greek striker scored 22 goals, with three assists in 38 MLS games for the Five Stripes before being sold to Cruz Azul. However, Giakoumakis has revealed he would like to return to one of his former clubs.
Giakoumakis told the Daily Record, "I would love to play for Celtic again. I don't know if that's a utopia or if it could happen again - but who wouldn't?... I would love, love, love to wear this jersey again. I don't know if this circle is done for me, but, yeah, that's my truth."
The Greece international played for Celtic and won the Scottish Premiership and League Cup with the Hoops before joining Atlanta in 2023. Giakoumakis is now 30 and has been out of European soccer for a couple of years now. Therefore, his chances of representing Celtic again could be slim.