Manchester City are preparing to offer Rico Lewis a new contract to tie his future down at the Etihad Stadium.
The 18-year-old has made nine senior appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side this season, starting their two previous Premier League games.
Having started to get some regular senior minutes under his belt over the past few weeks, the Manchester club are now looking to reward the teenager with a new contract.
According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, City are planning to reward Lewis with a new contract following his recent first-team efforts.
The report also adds that City are keen to renegotiate terms over the coming weeks and he can expect to earn a significant increase on his current wages of about £5,000 a week.
With five league appearances to his name this season, Lewis has shown how comfortable he is on the ball as he has successfully completed 145 of the 158 passes he’s attempted.
This has left him with the fifth-highest passing accuracy percentage at the club (91.8%).
Guardiola has not been shy in his praise for the right-back and his performances in the first team, as he described Lewis’ display against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup as “outstanding” after helping the team beat the Merseyside club 3-2.
Taking all of this into account, it’s easy to see why City are keen to offer the youngster a new deal, as they clearly view Lewis as a long-term figure for the team.
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Bearing in mind how Kyle Walker (32) is City’s oldest outfield player, it could be said that the club see Lewis as his long-term heir for the future.
Moving forward, if the club are able to seal a new deal for the young right-back, this will surely be a positive for the club, especially if he can continue taking opportunities in the first team and improve his game at the same time.