Man City Set To Lock Up Prized Midfielder With New Long-Term Deal

Phil Foden (left)scored the winner as Manchester City remained in contention for a fourth straight League Cup POOL / Laurence Griffiths

Phil Foden has always expressed his desire to remain at the City of Manchester Stadium, and it appears that will be the case–at least until 2027.

Manchester City is reportedly close to signing Foden to a long-term deal, a six-year pact that will see the sensational midfielder remain with the Sky Blues for the next six years, The Athletic reported.

At just a ripe age of 21, the English midfielder has blossomed into one of Pep Guardiola’s first-team guys.

Although he has a live contract that has three years remaining, the move appears to have been made to not only reward him but make sure that no rival teams can try and lure him out of Manchester City.

It would be also best to note that for his part, Foden had always envisioned himself staying with the Citizens.

This dates back to when he was only six years old and he reiterated that this is a bond hard to break, Goal reported.

"I can only see myself playing for Manchester City, considering how much I've supported them from a young age," he said earlier this year. "It always helps when you play for a club you support."

It was not an easy climb for the English national who had to be patient to get where he is right now.

Guardiola kept the faith and believed the only way Foden could show his true stuff was to be around players like Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva than being dealt out on loan.

So far, that has panned out well for Foden. He has made 130 appearances for Manchester City and has amassed 33 goals across all competitions.

Moreover, he has already won three English Premier League titles and was also part of the club’s UEFA Champions League runner-up finish.

But perhaps the most glaring accomplishment Foden got was when he was named on the 30-man shortlist for the men’s Ballon d’Or, which included De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Dias and Riyad Mahrez.

Although he had to deal with a foot injury at the start of the season, Foden’s flexibility gives Guardiola options on how to use him moving forward.

His signing also gives Guardiola a bit of a breather considering players like Sterling, Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus are all into the final two years of their contracts.