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Manchester City’s partnership with Chinese company Zhong An Holdings is to be extended, the club have confirmed.

City have been working alongside Zhong An in a bid to increase their commercial activity in the region as they look to close the financial gap between themselves and the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

City will travel to China this summer to embark on a pre-season tour and sold a 13 per cent stake of the City Football Group to China Media Capital in December.

Club officials see China has a burgeoning football market and one relatively untapped by European football clubs.

Zhong An have already helped City broker a deal with China’s Ministry of Education, allowing them to get involved with coaching young players across the country.

And they have guided City in their search for commercial partners and media opportunities, including involvement in football reality game show, Who Is The King.

Tom Glick, chief commercial officer of City Football Group, said: “China is one of the world’s most exciting and growing football markets. We have made a firm commitment to participate in the development of football in China and to get closer than ever to our Chinese followers.

“As we look forward to our pre-season tour, which will take us to Beijing and Shenzhen, we are constantly nurturing new commercial, marketing and digital relationships, as well as growing ever closer to our new investors.

"Zhong An is the perfect trusted partner for us and we are working extremely well together to understand the scale of the opportunity and how to tackle it most effectively.”

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