Manchester City are planning to open talks with World Cup winner Julian Alvarez about a new contract - even though the Argentine striker only arrived at the Etihad last summer.
The Premier League champions will sit down with Alvarez and several other members of Pep Guardiola’s squad to discuss the future in the summer.
City insist it is business as usual at the Etihad and that they will not be rushed into attempting to tie down big names early despite the threat of being sanctioned by an independent commission appointed by the Premier League to assess 115 charges relating to the club’s finances.
They are planning to reward Alvarez with a new deal even though the contract he signed following his £14 million arrival from River Plate last summer does not expire until 2027.
The 23-year-old has been a back-up to Golden Boot favourite Erling Haaland for much of the season despite being a key figure in his country’s World Cup triumph in Qatar. And he is regarded as a big part of City’s future.
The timetable for a number of his team-mates is more pressing - and there is likely to be a rebuild of Guardiola’s ageing squad. Ilkay Gundogan is out of contract at the end of the season and is attracting interest from Spain and Germany.
The 32-year-old was given the captaincy by Guardiola following Fernandinho’s departure last year but there is a reluctance to hand him the two-year extension he wants.
Kyle Walker will have just 12 months left on his contract and is showing no sign of slowing down despite approaching his 33rd birthday. Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez all have contracts that will expire in 2025.
Silva has been pushing for a move to Spain for the last two summers, with Barcelona unwilling to meet City’s £70million valuation despite being big admirers of the Portuguese midfielder.
And Laporte’s failure to secure a regular place in Guardiola’s team is likely to have consequences, especially after the City boss declared that he prefers Nathan Ake ahead of the Spanish international.
De Bruyne, who remains City’s most productive playmaker, will turn 32 in May. And while Mahrez has also been a top performer this season, he is also 31.
FREE £2 shop bet in William Hill shops with Tuesday's Daily Mirror, valid on the Liverpool v Real Madrid game. Don't miss your chance for a free flutter on the game everyone's talking about with your paper.
