By Daily Sports on January 4, 2020

Pep Guardiola is confident Fernandinho will sign a new deal at Manchester City, hailing him as one of the greatest players in the club's history.

The Brazil international, who joined the Premier League champions from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013, is out of contract at the end of this season.

There has been speculation this could be Fernandinho's final campaign at the Etihad Stadium – which was fuelled in part by Riyad Mahrez inadvertently suggesting the 34-year-old would follow David Silva in seeking pastures new when the winger took part in a Sky Sports Christmas quiz last month.

Silva's exit will continue a procession of club greats, after Vincent Kompany said an emotional farewell last May, 12 and 24 months respectively after Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta did likewise.

But Guardiola has no doubt he wants to see Fernandinho, who has impressed as an emergency centre-back this term, stick around.

"It’s a Txiki [Begiristain, City's director of football] issue, it’s not my issue," he told a news conference ahead of Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie against League Two side Port Vale.

"Of course I want him to stay. I am so confident [he'll stay] and I am so delighted about our three and a half years together.

"He does not have to convince me to stay longer. He convinced me on day one, three and a half years ago when we started to work together.

"He doesn't need to do anything special to convince me. It is just [a matter of] his age, his desire and how he is going to finish the season. Many, many things.

"He knows exactly the opinion we have about him in this club over many, many years. He is one of the greatest players this club has had in its whole history."

Fernandinho being pressed into repeated service at centre-back is primarily down to Aymeric Laporte suffering a meniscus injury.

The former Athletic Bilbao defender has now resumed light training, having last played against Brighton at the end of August. (ESPN)

•PHOTO: Fernandinho 

Source Daily Sports

Posted January 4, 2020

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