Sterling set to sign deal for £300,000 per week

Raheem Sterling is on course to become the best paid English footballer after verbally agreeing a new five-year contract with Manchester City that could be worth almost £300,000 per week.

Negotiations have been under way for months, but the England forward has now pledged his longterm future to the Premier League champions. Sterling’s impending new deal, which is expected to be signed and announced in the coming weeks, will tie him to City until June 2023 and will see his wages catapult from the current terms of £180,000 per week.

As well as a basic wage and image rights payments, Sterling will trigger a bonus if he plays in 60 per cent of City’s matches and will also earn further performance-related bonuses depending on the club’s success in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, as well as any personal awards the player picks up. Incremental annual uplifts are also factored into the verbal agreement.

Under the new contract, the 23-year-old, who cost City a projected £49million from Liverpool in 2015, would be comfortably the highest earning English player.

Sterling has been linked with Real Madrid, but has been keen to stay at City.

Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Ederson, Nicolas Otamendi, David Silva, Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero have all signed new contracts in the past 12 months.

Leroy Sane, Phil Foden and Ilkay Gundogan are also likely to sign new deals and manager Pep Guardiola has spoken about an extension for Vincent Kompany, who would be a free agent next summer.