England football legend and wife plot move to relocate to Dubai as they eye properties and school for kids

FORMER England football star Rio Ferdinand and wife Kate are considering relocating to the Middle East, we can reveal.

Rio, 46, and Kate, 33, are looking at big-money properties and schools for their younger children in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

Kate is married to former Manchester United legend Rio FerdinandCredit: InstagramFriends say the entrepreneurial pair, who live in Bromley, South East London, are keen to find a home in the Gulf.

A source said: “Rio and Kate are seriously considering being based out in the Gulf and are looking for a sprawling home with plenty of bedrooms.

“They love the lifestyle and sunny ­weather and have lots of friends out there. It’s a very safe place for families and offers a healthy lifestyle, which suits them well.”

The pair met in Dubai in 2016 after being introduced out there by mutual friends.

Rio proposed to Kate in Abu Dhabi two years later and the couple tied the knot one year on.

He has five kids — Lorenz, 18, Tate, 15, and Tia, 12, with first wife Rebecca Ellison who died in 2015; and Cree, four, and Shae, 21 months, with Kate.

The source said: “It holds a special place in their hearts as that’s where they met and both could easily travel back and forth for their work commitments in the UK.

“As well as his sporting success Rio has a huge business portfolio now and there is lots of potential in the Middle East.”

Insiders at TNT Sports are concerned that pundit Rio, who also has homes in Portugal and Barbados, will leave at the end of the season.

The former Manchester United captain has worked for the broadcaster for more than a decade and is seen as integral to their coverage.

His management firm New Era has signed a partnership with US talent agency WME.

A spokesman for Rio and Kate declined to comment.

The couple are looking at homes in the sunny GulfCredit: Getty