Manchester City place midfielder’s contract renewal ahead of Erling Haaland talks in priority list | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City will look to renew the contract of midfield mainstay Rodrigo before turning attentions to Erling Haaland’s own deal, according to reports.

The closing weeks of the ongoing summer transfer window are turning into a busy final moments for the Premier League champions, as they continue to work on all areas of their squad including arrivals, departures, and now contract renewals.

Whilst ongoing reports concerning Manchester City are being dominated by the seemingly imminent arrival of Ilkay Gundogan from FC Barcelona, work is ongoing simultaneously in retaining their best and most important figures in Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad.

The summer has seen a number of contract renewals to date, with City move to secure the futures of goalkeeping duo Scott Carson and Stefan Ortega Moreno, whilst there is an attention to make it a trio between the sticks with Ederson being eyed for renewal.

But alongside that focus, there is big money being eyed for spend further forward on the pitch, and specifically concerning two names that have been nothing short of integral to Manchester City’s finest successes over the last two seasons in particular.

According to the information of The Mirror’s Simon Mullock, Manchester City are preparing to offer Rodrigo a ‘double-your-money pay-rise’ to keep him at the Etihad Stadium beyond his existing contractual terms.

It is claimed that City bosses now view the Spaniard as ‘their most influential player’, and are ready to recognise that by increasing his wages to around a basic fee of £375,000-a-week, giving him parity with top-earners Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.

Additionally, talks are also reportedly planned to hand Haaland a pay-rise this season, but securing the services of Rodri to a new and improved deal has been labelled as the Premier League champions’ ‘top priority’ amid watching interest from Real Madrid.

Rodri will forever be remembered for being the Manchester City goalscorer in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final to bring home Europe’s biggest prize for the first time in the club’s history, alongside his successive top level performances across all competitions.

As for Erling Haaland, the Norwegian continues to be at the centre of Manchester City’s goalscoring prowess, and with Real Madrid being maintained as an ambitious long-term suitor, the Etihad club will be keen to show their faith financially in the 24-year-old.

City are continuing to eye a new striker arrival into their squad this summer following the departure of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid in a €95 million package earlier in the market, leaving a gap in their attacking options for the now-ongoing season.