July 1, (THEWILL) – Riyad Mahrez has informed Manchester City that he wants to stay at the Etihad and that he is prepared to finalise a new contract.
Along with Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling, all of whose contracts also expire in 2023, City started contract negotiations with Mahrez at the conclusion of the 2021/2022 campaign. While Jesus will soon be unveiled by Arsenal in a deal worth roughly £45 million, after declining fresh terms at City and Sterling is poised to do the same, Mahrez is prepared to commit to the Premier League champions for the foreseeable future.
The Algerian was in excellent form last season, when he scored the most goals in his four years at City. In 47 games across all competitions, he scored 24 goals, easily outpacing his previous high mark of 14 goals in the 2020/2021 season, which brought interest in Mahrez from big sides like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain.
However, the 31-year-old is well established in the North West and prefers to dedicate his future to Pep Guardiola’s City, who have bolstered their already potent offensive lineup with the additions of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez.
So far, negotiations are moving forward, and City is prepared to extend Mahrez’s contract by an extra year. They aim to reach an agreement before the start of the next campaign.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
