Manchester City in contract talks with De Bruyne and Sterling | OneFootball

Manchester City are looking to make use of the current suspension in action by making progress with contract negotiations for Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling.

With the threat of a two-year ban from European competition looming over City, several outlets are reporting that the club are keen to tie down key players.

City are appealing the Financial Fair Play punishment at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but is unclear how long that process will take, especially given the disruption being caused by the coronavirus crisis.

The desire to secure De Bruyne and Sterling increased further after the Citizens overcame Real Madrid in the Champions League at the Bernabeu late last month.

Both players have three years remaining on their contract, so the club are said to be offering better terms to convince the Belgium and England internationals to remain at the Etihad.

Sterling’s form has dropped off of late, but the 25-year-old has improved his game dramatically under the guidance of Pep Guardiola since the winger’s move from Liverpool in 2015.

De Bruyne missed much of last season through injury, but has bounced back in this campaign by providing 20 assists in just 35 appearances.