New Fernandinho contract could save Man City £120m and open path for next academy star

His name may not carry the same weight or glamour as the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Vincent Kompany, but there is no doubting that Fernandinho is a Manchester City great.

This summer marks nine years since City signed the Brazilian midfielder from Shakhtar Donetsk and during that time he has become a fan favourite at the Etihad Stadium.

Fernandinho can count himself as one of the best holding midfielders to play in the Premier League, with City fans loving him for his commitment, leadership qualities and never-say-die attitude.

Yet, having made 370 appearances for City, it has felt for a while like this season will be his last in sky blue. The club captain will turn 37 before the current campaign is out and, to be brutally honest, in some of his recent outings he has looked every day of that age.

With Rodri firmly cemented as Pep Guardiola's preferred holding midfielder after a rocky couple of years, it seemed natural that Fernandinho would leave the club when his current contract expires in June. However, the plan might have changed.

The Times reported early this month that City's number 25 feels he still has another year of top-level football left in him and that he has no desire to leave Manchester. That story has been followed up by reports this week that City are working on a new one-year deal for their captain, with Guardiola happy to keep him in the building as a back-up option.

There has been talk that Fernandinho could take on a player-coach role - his touchline gesticulation during the Spurs defeat suggested he holds an interest in coaching - although Guardiola's preference might be to keep him as a player for now.

Should that be the case, then City would be saving themselves an awful lot of money