Manchester City are preparing a mammoth £450,000-a-week deal for Raheem Sterling to fend off transfer interest from Real Madrid, according to reports.
The in-form England winger is quickly cementing his reputation as one of the world’s best following another sensational start to the season.
Pep Guardiola and the club are keen to reward him with a lucrative extension to his current contract, which expires in the summer of 2023.
Sterling last signed a contract in November 2018 to take his wages up to around £280k-a-week, but he has already confirmed his ambition to play abroad.
And City are set to react by making the 24-year-old the Premier League’s top earner to ensure his best years are played at the Etihad, according to The Sunday Express.
Should Sterling sign the £450k-a-week contract, it would far eclipse Kevin de Bruyne’s £350k-a-week deal that is currently the highest at the club.
The former Liverpool star revealed this summer that he believes he is at City “for the long haul” but has hopes of playing abroad one day.
He said in the British GQ August issue: “Looking at it now it’s like, Manchester, I love it. I love it here. This is one of the best clubs in the world and I’m here for the long haul.”
