Guardiola demands Man City make ‘historic offer’ for key star with ‘special clauses’

Pep Guardiola wants Man City to tie down Erling Haaland to a new contract after sorting his own future, according to reports.

The Citizens made a good start to the new Premier League season under Guardiola with seven wins from their opening nine matches.

However, Man City have now lost their last two Premier League matches in the Premier League, and their last four in all competitions, with Guardiola’s side struggling without Spain international Rodri in the middle of the park.

But Man City fans received a boost this week with widespread reports claiming that Guardiola has ‘agreed a new one-year contract extension with the option of an additional year’.

There have been a number of off-field distractions over the last few months, including the case into their 115 charges over alleged breaches of financial fair play rules, and the news that Guardiola is set to sign a new deal will be a huge relief.

Another issue has been the future of some players at Man City with star striker Haaland being linked with moves to Real Madrid and Barcelona.

But reports in Spain now indicate that Haaland’s future is likely to be intertwined with Guardiola’s after the Catalan boss resolves his short-term plans.

Guardiola ‘has made his priorities clear: to retain the Norwegian striker at all costs, even if this means breaking the team’s financial schemes to protect him with a star contract’.

Barcelona ‘see him as the perfect heir to lead their attack in the long term’, while Real Madrid and PSG are also interested but ‘Haaland’s continuity has become the main objective for Guardiola’.

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Guardiola ‘has taken matters into his own hands and has demanded that the club act quickly to ensure that Haaland does not give in to the temptations of the market’ and now Man City ‘have already put a historic offer on the table: a renewal that would make the Norwegian one of the highest-paid players in the world’.

It is claimed that the new Haaland contract will contain ‘special clauses that would reinforce his commitment to Guardiola ‘s project’.

With Man City now five points adrift of leader Liverpool in the Premier League, former Arsenal striker Alan Smith reckons it is not going to be the Citizens’ year.

Smith told AceOdds: “Yeah, it’s difficult. Liverpool, you could say, have they had a big test yet? but they’ve played Chelsea, Villa, and Arsenal, and haven’t lost to any of them. They’ve got City coming up, I know that, and I think they’ve got Newcastle away and somebody else away.

“They’ve got Man City on the 1st of December at home and that’ll tell us more about where they are.  There’s still a question mark over Arne Slot’s Liverpool, but he’s answered all the questions so far. I don’t know.

“For City to win it five times on the track would be unbelievable without Rodri. You have to feel that this year’s going to be the one where they’re not going to lift it. Given that, Liverpool are nine points ahead of Arsenal, you’re thinking, well, I don’t think a team’s overturned that deficit. At the moment, you’d say Liverpool.”

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