Manchester City set for ‘most commercially successful’ pre-season tour EVER as two first-team stars close in on new deals

Two of Pep Guardiola’s first-team stars are closing in on new contracts following hugely successful respective campaigns at Manchester City this season.

While City are in the midst of a hugely competitive campaign, their long-term planning beyond just the end of this season remains at the very forefront of the thinking of those working away from the pitch and at boardroom level.

Sporting director Txiki Begiristain has a firm focus on ensuring that manager Pep Guardiola has the right tools to bring continued success to the Etihad Stadium, and as part of that comes the positive contractual situations of star players.

This season, Guardiola’s defence has seen the emergence of Rico Lewis as a serious competitor for the mainstay right-back slot, while Nathan Ake has proved himself to be a more than capable operator on the left side of defence.

As such, according to the information of Jack Gaughan of The Mail, fresh contractual terms for both Lewis and Ake are in the works as a reward for their fine respective campaigns at the Etihad Stadium so far.

Fresh deals for the defensive duo will follow a newly-agreed contract for Julian Alvarez, as he further extended his stay at the club by an additional year through to 2028, and doubled his salary in the process.

All three players will play a crucial part in the future of Pep Guardiola’s side, while Txiki Begiristain looks to further compliment those options through new signings in the coming months.

The Mail report that Manchester City hope to show some new signings off on a pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea in July, which has been described as the ‘most commercially successful in the club’s history’ once signed. 

In 2022, Manchester City’s pre-season preparations took them to the United States, where they played two friendlies against Club America and Bayern Munich at the NRG Stadium in Houston, and Lambeau Field in Green Bay respectively.

Both matches attracted attendances well in excess of 60,000, with spectators having the opportunity to grab a first glimpse of several new names including Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez – both of whom have had stellar seasons so far.

City will be hoping to have a number of marquee signings in place by the time their pre-season preparations kick-off ahead of the 2023/24 season, to further drive excitement and extend their global reach to further corners of the globe.