Manchester City are not taking risks on any of their high profile players and are keen to keep them at the club for the long run. The 2021 UEFA Champions League losing finalists want to put themselves in a position of strength regarding their players.
Contract extension for several players
After getting John Stones to commit his future to the club, the Premier League champions are keen to extend the contracts of several key players.
Stones’ impressive performance last season was enough to convince the club that he should be at the club. The 27-year-old defender signed an extension that runs out in 2026.
Following Stones’ extension, the club have set their eyes on other key players, including goalkeeper Ederson, forward Raheem Sterling and midfielder Phil Foden.
Foden and Ederson likely to get long term deals
Even without the risk of contracts running out anytime soon for both Phil Foden and Ederson, City are bent on keeping them at the club for a long period.
In 2018, Foden, who was raised in the club academy, signed a six-year deal that sees his days with City run till 2024. With three years left on his current contract, he is about to extend it further.
The 21-year-old has established himself in Guardiola’s side and managed to break into the England team as well. Guardiola has often described him as a player he would never sell.
As per Daily Mail, the length of the new deal is yet to be unknown, but the young lad has a contract waiting to be signed.
In 2018, City got Ederson to sign a massive deal that keeps him at City till 2025. The seven-year contract is an estimation of the value that Man City have placed on the Brazilian international. Pep views the 27-year-old as a perfect number one, and he wants to see him at the club beyond his current contract.
Sterling remains a dicey case
Raheem Sterling is in a different boat as he has just two years left on his contract. Manchester City are trying to avoid a situation that saw Leroy Sane run his deal with the club to the final 12 months. Sane later joined Bayern Munich for a reduced fee.
On the back of this, City are prepared to hold fresh talks with Sterling to extend his contract. If they are successful, they can extract value for the forward if he decides to leave the club in the future.
It seems Sterling has put together a team to handle negotiations with the club.
Near the end of last season, Sterling found himself out of the first team. However, he returned in time for the Champions League final. He was also England’s star performer as they made it to the final of EURO 2020.
Other players on the verge of running down their deals are Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan, with two years left of their current contract.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
