Manchester City ready to open contract talks with Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling as main men set to get pay rises despite doubt over Champions League future
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- Man City want to begin talks after the Champions League clash with Real Madrid
- Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling still have three years left on their deals
- It is expected both will be offered a salary increase to reward their commitment
By Jack Gaughan for the Daily Mail
Published: : (EST, 6 March)
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Sportsmail understands City chiefs want to begin talks following the Champions League second leg with Real Madrid .
They earmarked the stability of their two top earners as crucial to the club’s immediate future amid an ongoing legal battle surrounding future participation in Europe. Manchester City are set to begin contract talks with star midfield player Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne and Sterling still have three years left to run on their current deals. Discussions that far in advance indicates City’s resolve in retaining their best players.
Sterling’s contract, revealed by (Sportsmail) in
It is expected that both will be offered an increase in salary to underline their commitment to the Premier League champions.
City have been proactive with renewals in recent years. The only players under 30 with fewer than three years left remaining are John Stones and Leroy Sane, with question marks over the pair’s futures.
City are also set to sit down with Raheem Sterling’s representatives later this month
Ilkay Gundogan, Benjamin Mendy, Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus have contracts until , with a host of others bound to longer agreements.
De Bruyne’s national manager, Roberto Martinez, insisted that the Belgium international remains ‘committed to the project at City’ following the two-year Champions League ban.
Sterling’s representative, Aidy Ward, quickly publicized that the forward ‘will not become distracted by any talk of transfers, ‘amid interest from the Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
City are likely to be without De Bruyne when they face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday with a shoulder injury. Pep Guardiola is encouraged that the 30 – year-old is ‘feeling better’ but is not thought to be ready to risk him, given the importance of the tie with Real in a fortnight.
Sane is also missing as he continues rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament injury and looks set for more game time with City’s Under – team in a bid to regain match sharpness. Bruyne however will miss the Manchester derby on Sunday with a shoulder injury
Guardiola played down Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s complaints at City enjoying an extra day’s rest ahead of the derby on Friday.
United won at Derby County on Thursday night, hours after City progressed in the FA Cup at Sheffield Wednesday.
‘I think I said before the Carabao Cup (semi-final) that they had an extra day,’ Guardiola said. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes you have longer and sometimes you have less. It is what it is. ‘
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