Manchester City are in talks with Leroy Sane over a new contract as the Premier League champions continue their drive to secure the long-term futures of the nucleus of their squad.

Sane still has two-and-a-half years left to run on the deal he signed when he joined City from Schalke for an initial £37 million in August 2016.

But City want to extend the Germany winger’s contract by at least another couple of seasons and are in discussions with his representatives.

Sane was central to City’s record-breaking title success last season and was named PFA Young Player of the Year and, although he has endured a turbulent start to the current campaign, the 22 year-old is considered integral to Pep Guardiola’s long-term plans.

Sane was dropped for the Premier League game against Newcastle amid questions about his application in training. He has also struggled to win the trust of Germany coach, Joachim Low, who omitted him from his World Cup squad, although the country’s calamitous early exit in Russia raised further questions about the wisdom of that decision. Toni Kroos also criticised Sane’s attitude last month by claiming that the City player’s body language at times suggested he did not care if Germany win or lose.