Fernandinho has been something of a revelation under Pep Guardiola. It’s not so much what the Brazilian does on the pitch which has caught attention, although he’s obviously been good, but how Guardiola has spoken about the midfielder.
A team of Fernandinhos would win the Premier League, according to the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager, and rather than finding his Manchester City status under question, Fernandinho is increasingly important.
Bought from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013, the player’s contract ends in July. That’s obviously not an ideal situation, given he could negotiate a free transfer from January onwards.
However, with Guardiola’s clear support, and with Manchester City offering the chance to challenge for titles, why would Fernandinho want to move anywhere else?
It’s of course not worth chancing it for longer and Catalan newspaper Sport say Guardiola is really pushing for the club to get it sorted.
It’s said to be the manager’s priority right now, and the club could offer a 2 year extension. On the face of it, that sounds reasonable for the 31 year old, but what Manchester City would wish to avoid is another club coming in and offering 3 years, or even four.
Guardiola praising Fernandinho so much will have brought wider attention to the player and until a deal is signed there’s always the lingering worry of other clubs coming in.
