Officials from Manchester City and New York City F.C. will meet in England next week to decide whether to extend midfielder Frank Lampard’s loan with the Premier League club or to release him in early 2015 so he can join the New York team as it prepares for its first season in Major League Soccer.

The question of Lampard’s status has hovered over the introduction of New York City F.C., fed largely by his strong performances for Manchester City, which remains a contender for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles, and by the recent comments of his coach there, Manuel Pellegrini, who said he hoped Lampard might stay past the kickoff of the 2015 M.L.S. season.

At a question-and-answer session with fans in Manhattan on Friday, New York City Coach Jason Kreis and the team’s director of football, Claudio Reyna, each expressed optimism that Lampard would arrive on time. Lampard is New York City’s biggest signing to date, and the club has marketed him heavily, so his absence at the team’s introduction would be a blow.

“The decision should be made in the middle of December,” Kreis said. “It will be made by the people that own this club, and I have full trust that they’re going to make a decision that’s going to be best for Frank, best for Manchester City and best for New York City. At the end of the day I have full trust in that decision and we will live by whatever it is.”