Man City postpone contract talks with star player
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Manchester City will look to move a step closer to repeating their remarkable treble when they face Newcastle United in the FA Cup on Saturday.
City are in contention to retain their Premier League and Champions League titles this term, and victory over Newcastle in the quarter-finals will move them a step closer to retaining the FA Cup.
Manager Pep Guardiola will expect to see his side progress past the Magpies, who have struggled away from home recently and lost 3-2 against Chelsea last time out.
The return of influential midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has undoubtedly helped City, whose form has improved since the Belgian returned to action in January.
Despite this, it appears that talks over a new contract for the midfielder have been paused.
As per Football Insider, talks between City and De Bruyne over an extension have been postponed.
De Bruyne is approaching the end of his current contract
The 32-year-old’s current deal is set to expire at the end of next season, which means he would currently be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with any foreign club in January next year.
It is claimed that both parties have decided to put talks on hold in order to focus on the crucial final weeks of the season.
Once the season is over, talks will resume with initial discussions having already taken place.
De Bruyne joined the Citizens from German side Wolfsburg back in 2015 and has since made a total of 270 appearances for the club across all competitions.
The Belgian has scored 98 goals and provided 166 assists for City, as well as winning no fewer than 17 trophies including the Champions League and five Premier League titles.
It is also claimed that City boss Guardiola is ‘desperate’ to ensure that the attacking midfielder stays put at The Etihad, with rumours in recent weeks suggesting that the player could be a target for Saudi Arabian clubs this summer.