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Man City 'lining up lucrative new contract to keep key midfielder for life'

Man City 'lining up lucrative new contract to keep key midfielder for life'
© Reuters
Manchester City reportedly plan to offer Rodri a mammoth £300,000-a-week contract in order to keep him at the Etihad Stadium for the rest of his career.

Manchester City are reportedly planning to offer influential midfielder Rodri a mammoth new deal which would keep him at the Etihad for the remainder of his career.

The 27-year-old is often heralded as the leading midfielder in world football, having significantly increased his attacking output in addition to flaunting his well-documented defensive prowess.

Rodri has had a direct hand in 20 goals in 40 matches this season - eight of his own and 12 assists - scoring seven and setting up as many in 28 Premier League contests during the current campaign.

After emphatically finishing into the top corner and also assisting Phil Foden during the 4-1 win over Aston Villa in midweek, Rodri made his presence felt in the final third against Crystal Palace on Saturday, setting up Kevin De Bruyne's second in a 4-2 success.

Now sitting on 25 goals and 27 assists in 246 games in a Man City shirt, the former Atletico Madrid man also has 10 major trophies to show for his time under Pep Guardiola, including the 2022-23 Champions League crown after scoring the winner against Inter Milan in the final.

Arsenal's Kai Havertz in action with Manchester City's Rodri on March 31, 2024© Reuters

Rodri set for huge pay hike on £180,000-a-week deal

Rodri extended his Man City terms as recently as the summer of 2022 and is not due to become a free agent for another three years, but according to The Mirror, another renewal is in the pipeline.

The Spain international reportedly earns in the region of £180,000 a week under his current terms, but he can supposedly look forward to a huge increase to a basic rate of £300,000 per week.

Man City, who are now of the view that Rodri is the best defensive midfielder on the planet, are expected to soon begin talks with the 27-year-old's camp and are hopeful of convincing him to remain at the Etihad for the rest of his playing days.

Furthermore, the reigning Premier League champions supposedly believe that he will be a natural fit for the captaincy once Kyle Walker and De Bruyne - both of whom are in their 30s - move on.

De Bruyne is another key City midfielder whose contract situation has been a hot topic of debate, though, as the 32-year-old has now entered the last 18 months of his existing terms.

Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne celebrates scoring their first goal on April 6, 2024© Reuters

De Bruyne contract talks on hold

The former Chelsea man has been restricted to just 16 appearances this season due to injury, but he produced a scintillating performance in Saturday's win over Palace, bringing up 100 City goals in the process.

De Bruyne firstly drew the treble winners level with a stunning curler after Jean-Philippe Mateta's opener, before setting up Erling Haaland and firing in his milestone strike to rubber-stamp a 4-2 victory.

Despite his limited game time this season, the Belgium international remains as fundamental as ever with four goals and 14 assists from just 16 games, but City are at risk of losing him for nothing in 2025.

Talks with De Bruyne's representatives are expected to take place in the near future, but discussions have supposedly been placed on hold while Man City focus on trying to win another historic treble in the final weeks of the campaign.

Guardiola's men remain in third place in the Premier League table and will square off with Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday at the Etihad.

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Written by
Ben Knapton

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Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne celebrates with the trophy after winning the Premier League on May 21, 2023
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