Josko Gvardiol is to land a new deal – and pay rise – at Manchester City after a superb opening 15 months with the English champions.
The Croatian defender, 22, signed a five-year contract last summer, worth £120,000 a week, when he completed a £70million move from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.
And now the City hierarchy are preparing to increase that weekly salary to £150k and extend his stay by two more years to keep him at the Etihad until 2030.
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The improved terms underline the significant impact Gvardiol has made since his arrival in England.
After initially struggling to gain a regular place, the former Dinamo Zagreb man has become a permanent fixture in Pep Guardiola’s first-choice rearguard.
(Image: Getty Images)
(Image: Getty Images)
The City boss loves Gvardiol’s versatility as he can operate at left back or in the centre of defence. And the player has also demonstrated an impressive knack of weighing in with crucial goals at crucial moments.
Gvardiol, capped 37 times by his country, scored four times in the title run-in last year to help secure the club’s record fourth Premier League on the bounce.
And he has continued that fine form in front of goal into the new campaign. He scored in the draw at Newcastle and only last Sunday smashed in a rocket equaliser in City’s 2-1 comeback victory at Wolves.
Now the club plan to reward Gvardiol’s superb displays with a deal that ties him down for the rest of the decade – and ensures he remains a vital figure moving forward.
Earlier this week Pep Guardiola said he is convinced Manchester City will be just fine without him.
Guardiola’s is out of contract at the end of this season and has still to decide his future. The Spaniard could decide to leave the Etihad next summer to take a break from management.
His close friend and ally, City sporting director Txiki Begiristain, has announced he will be leaving the English champions next summer. And if Guardiola decides to follow him through the exit door, he is sure City will continue to be successful after he’s gone.
Guardiola, who has won a staggering 18 trophies since arriving in 2016, has seen Manchester United go backwards since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. But he’s adamant there will be no such collapse at City