Each January brings many reports of varying authenticity of ageing superstars being “eyed” (or a a similar transfer cliche) for a move to Major League Soccer. Often, these links lean into the “silly” portion of the silly season.

At times, these are thinly veiled attempts to bolster a veteran’s negotiating position as they hope to stay among Europe’s highest levels. Other times, there’s far more weight to the links than merely keeping the transfer rumor mill in operation. The latter scenario is true of Kevin De Bruyne as he nears the end of his contract with Manchester City.

In May, The Athletic first reported on the mutual interest between San Diego FC and De Bruyne. At the time, it was clear that the modern Belgian legend preferred a move to MLS over the Saudi Pro League, with the midfielder considering the California market among his preferred destinations should he come Stateside.

Since then, De Bruyne has walked back potential disinterest in the Pro League, telling Belgian outlet HLN this summer that “at my age, you have to be open to everything. You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the last stage of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.”

In late November, he tried to push speculation about his future off the radar, saying he was “not worried” about whether a new deal in Manchester would manifest. Now, six months from the end of his contract, De Bruyne is free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with any club outside of England.

San Diego is on the shortlist of his possible next destinations, with the MLS upstart and many suitors closely monitoring how much he has left to offer. De Bruyne missed most of the fall due to, as he said in late November, an abdominal issue that caused pain in his groin whenever he shot a ball. De Bruyne turns 34 in June, having logged 34,318 minutes in league action (to say nothing of cups, continental and international play) since debuting in 2009.

De Bruyne is an ambitious target for a club that will make its professional debut in 2025. As we await a decision about his future, here’s how San Diego could bring the Belgian to Southern California.

A bureaucratic courtship

MLS is infamous for its labyrinth of roster rules that make the league nearly unplayable in the Football Manager video game series. In the real world, the process is only a bit less convoluted — albeit with some oddities unique to the league.

As a single-entity circuit, all players who join an MLS club need their rights to be assigned. For a player such as De Bruyne who has never before played in MLS, teams must lodge priority claims on his “Discovery Rights,” which is functionally a web portal where teams can hold squatter’s rights over up to five players at a time. Teams will drop players from their list to make room for another target and another club can freely claim the rights of the nominally undiscovered player.

As an expansion franchise, San Diego’s discovery list holds up to seven players until the 2025 season’s roster compliance date, which comes just before the season kicks off on February 22. If San Diego has De Bruyne on their seven-man shortlist, they can move forth freely to negotiate with the player’s camp. If another team has a discovery claim on him that pre-dates San Diego’s interest, the new club will need to acquire his rights via trade (often $50,000 of general allocation money).

If this sounds like a way for conniving teams to profit off a player’s movement without intending to sign him themselves, fear not: MLS’s official rules forbid it. For players such as De Bruyne who would obviously be a designated player, MLS has the right to “determine whether the club has the necessary intent, means, and ability to sign such a player.” The rule goes on to clarify that MLS may contact a player’s current club or his representative to gauge how likely the player would come to that specific club.

“If the league determines that there is no realistic chance of signing the player at that time, he will not be discoverable.”

How much could De Bruyne make?

In short, whatever San Diego is willing to pay him.

In 2007, MLS launched the designated player rule so teams could sign players to high wages while remaining in compliance with the league’s salary cap. The first DP, of course, was David Beckham, who left Real Madrid for the LA Galaxy to kick off MLS’s modern era. No matter his salary, a Designated Player hits the salary cap at the senior maximum budget charge. In 2025, that figure is $743,750. The salary cap for the upcoming season sits at $5.95 million annually.

Last season, nine players earned guaranteed salaries in excess of $5million. Lionel Messi led the way with his $20.4million guaranteed compensation, while Italian winger Lorenzo Insigne is second on $15.4million. Sergio Busquets ($8.8million), Xherdan Shaqiri ($8.2million) and Sebastian Driussi ($6.7million) rounded out the top five highest earners.

Currently, San Diego has one designated player: Mexico international Hirving Lozano, who signed a four-year contract with the club along his home nation’s border in June. MLS teams can sign up to three DPs,or opt to limit themselves to two DPs in exchange for an additional Under-22 Initiative signing and $2million of general allocation money.

Does San Diego’s newcomer status play a role?

Not directly. Any club can theoretically sign any player in the world regardless of market or the player’s status if they make the right sales pitch.

However, San Diego does have one of the cleanest salary cap situations of any MLS club given the nascent state of their roster. The expansion side had 17 players on its roster as of January 3, including just four true midfielders. As they’re still cobbling together their first roster, signing De Bruyne would require fewer moving parts to fall into place than a side with an established core already up against the salary cap.

Often, new MLS clubs have tried to sign a clear leading figure. Los Angeles FC launched with Carlos Vela at the fore, while Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC), Driussi (Austin FC) and Lozano (San Diego) show clubs have continued to skew a bit younger compared to more aged frontmen of a bygone decade such as Kaka (Orlando City), David Villa and Frank Lampard (New York City) or Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders).

Of course, only so many players in the world can match De Bruyne’s pedigree. While his signing would almost certainly be a shorter-term partnership, it’s a rare opportunity for clubs operating beyond New York, Los Angeles or Miami.

Is this different to Messi’s Miami move?

In spirit, yes, but functionally, no.

To borrow a term from modern collectables parlance, Messi’s deal with Miami is a “one-of-one” scenario. He, too, arrived on a free transfer, allowing the club to negotiate directly with him rather than Paris Saint-Germain.

What truly made Messi’s deal singular was the considerations beyond salary that lured him to South Beach. Messi was given equity in Inter Miami, while he also sees a cut of increased income associated with league partners Apple, Adidas and Fanatics. Although Beckham’s deal involved the rights to launch an MLS club (which he did with Miami), it’s rare for a player to command that kind of lucrative perk.

Strip away the side revenue streams and the deals look far more similar. Both players began negotiations as they neared the end of their contract with their previous club — a Bosman transfer (the 1995 Bosman ruling states that clubs from other countries can discuss and finalise pre-contract agreements with players in Europe up to six months before the expiry of their current deals). Both were earmarked for a DP slot, ensuring they would hit the salary cap at a predetermined rate. Both would require an international slot and a senior roster slot, far easier factors to sort out in the grand scheme of things.

Does this make sense for San Diego FC?

Yes.

…

I’m sorry, apparently I need to expand on that.

De Bruyne may not have the same marketability as Messi, but he has been at the heart of one of Europe’s all-time dynasties for a decade. His longtime friend and international teammate Christian Benteke has spoken in glowing terms about what moving to MLS has done for his career and his mental health. The Belgian striker beat Messi and Luis Suarez to win the 2024 MLS Golden Boot with 23 goals.

GO DEEPER

A look at San Diego FC’s roster after the MLS expansion draft

Even in his mid-30s, De Bruyne would be a massive signing for a club entering its first season. The midfield is awfully thin as currently constructed, lacking even two players who are clearly capable of being regular starters in MLS. That depth would need to be bolstered even if De Bruyne signs given the likelihood he won’t be a “90 minutes, twice a week” option during the MLS season’s busiest stretch. That said, the Belgian has started five of City’s seven matches since December 4, including full-90 shifts against Leicester City and West Ham in the span of seven days.

For nearly a year, the flirtation between player and club has been public. Only time will tell if they can forge a partnership from their mutual interest. His leadership acumen and draw for neutral viewers would also represent a bombastic shot in the arm as the club works to make a strong first impression. Even in his mid-30s, he remains a danger for any opponent in the world’s most competitive league.

If they can sign him, it’ll ensure San Diego remains in the broader MLS discourse from day one.

(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)