Raheem Sterling is seeking a substantial hike on his £175,000-a-week contract that expires in 2020.

Talks between Sterling’s representatives and Manchester City over a new deal are to resume within the next few days. Sterling is settled at City and is not demanding parity with the club’s best-paid player, Kevin De Bruyne.

City are mindful of Financial Fair Play and are — sensibly — heavily incentivising deals so an important player such as De Bruyne, who signed a deal last January until 2023, would receive reported basic wages of £250,000 a week rising to £342,000 a week, including bonuses, image rights and a signing-on fee spread over the duration of his contract. Under Txiki Begiristain, their highly regarded director of football, City have been steadily