Kevin De Bruyne in new Man City contract twist amid Aston Villa transfer claim

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has indicated that Kevin De Bruyne would have to sign a new contract with the club if he wished to participate in this summer's Club World Cup - with his existing deal due to expire at the end of the season, and amid fresh transfer links with Aston Villa.

Midfielder De Bruyne, one of the most decorated midfielders in world football, will leave City at the end of this season after 10 years at the Etihad Stadium and well over 400 appearances for the club. He won 14 pieces of major silverware in that time, including a Champions League and six Premier League titles.

City, having won the European Cup in the last couple of years, have been invited to play in the expanded Club World Cup in the USA this summer - but he'll have to agree fresh terms as the competition runs beyond his existing deal.

Guardiola has urged De Bruyne to open talks with City about extending his stay, even if only by a matter of weeks or months, ahead of his farewell and with, according to Sky Sports, Villa eager to offer him an opportunity to remain in England - although the Belgian great will be handed chances to play his trade in the Saudi Pro League among other places.

“He has to decide, he has to talk, because now with the Club World Cup, it’s a new contract, legally,” Guardiola said. “Hopefully he can continue playing football in another place, and it depends on the risk, playing there, for the contracts or injuries.

"The decision has been made for the club, and the club is the club. Me, Txiki [Begiristain, sporting director], and the club, so this is what it is. It was not easy for me to tell him it won’t continue.

"The last year and a half, he was out injured because he gave everything for the club. Everything he had in his body and his mind, he’s done it, so there’s no doubt about it."

With only a handful of matches left in City's regular season - they take on Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley this weekend and then face Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth and Fulham before the season's end - Guardiola has instructed De Bruyne to drink in the fanfare whenever he departs the field in these remaining games.

“I would like him to stay on the pitch for more time; when I made the substitution, he should walk, stay there, and enjoy that moment,” Guardiola responded. “Away from home, the recognition for Kevin in this country has been and will be enormous, because he gave a lot, a lot of joy, made the Premier League better and he’s behaved unbelievably as a sportsman.”

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