Man City Keen to Renew Key Star's Contract Amid Paris Saint-Germain Transfer Links

The Premier League champions have already seen the likes of Ruben Dias, John Stones and Ederson commit their futures to the club at the start of the campaign, while Phil Foden is also reportedly negotiating an improved contract after a breakthrough campaign with his boyhood side.

However, Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres have both recently expressed a desire to move abroad in search of regular game time, with Barcelona keen on adding the attacking duo to their ranks despite their financial constraints.

Riyad Mahrez, who played a starring role for Manchester City on their route to their first-ever Champions League final last term, has picked up right where he left off by making a strong and impactful start to the new campaign.

The 30-year-old is currently top of the goalscoring charts at City this season, having scored eight times and assisted twice in 18 outings since August despite making just three starts in the Premier League campaign.

As reported by Daniel Cutts of The Sun, Manchester City have 'stepped up' their efforts in renewing Mahrez's current deal past 2023 before he jets off for the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

It has been mentioned that a surprise move to Paris Saint-Germain could emerge as a possibility should the Sky Blues fail to agree fresh terms with Mahrez, who has often been linked with a move to the Parc des Princes in the past few seasons.

It is worth noting that Mahrez recently rubbished claims suggesting that he is looking to depart Manchester City amid interest from Real Madrid and PSG, as exclusively revealed by City Xtra in November.

Moreover, though he has admitted that he would obviously like to play more often in a star-studded squad, Mahrez exclusively told City Xtra in February that 'everything is perfect' at the Etihad Stadium, with there now being less than 18 months left on his current contract in the east side of Manchester.

The former Leicester City man, who currently earns £160,000-per-week in Manchester, has delivered whenever called upon by Pep Guardiola since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, during which he registered 23 direct goal contributions in 48 appearances across all competitions.

And while he has been rotated with City's other world-class attacking outlets this season, it has been stated that Mahrez remains a key part of Guardiola's plans.

Amid the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the future(s) of Ferran Torres and Raheem Sterling at the Etihad Stadium, it is easy to comprehend why Manchester City are keen to tie the winger down to a longer contract.