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EXCLUSIVE: Guardiola fears mount as clock ticks down on City duo attracting major interest

Manchester City are still waiting to hear from star trio Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus on their contract offers, TEAMtalk understands.

The Cityzens are gearing up towards what they hope will be a successful end to the season. Pep Guardiola’s side are still in the hunt for three trophies following their progress through to the Champions League semi-finals. Next up, they face Real Madrid for a place in the final, where they could meet familar foes in Liverpool. It was something of a battle royale at the Wanda Metropolitano though, with Koke pinning all the blame on Manchester City.

Before then, of course, they also face Liverpool at Wembley on Saturday for a place in the FA Cup final. And there’s the small matter of the Premier League title race, with City holding a narrow one-point lead over the Reds.

With the focus very much on the current season for Guardiola, matters of the field are being left in the trusted hands of Txiki Begiristain.

And as well as potential new incomings, the City director is also looking to lock down three of his star men.

Indeed, Manchester City have been in talks with the three forwards for more than 12 months. Their deals are expiring in summer 2023. And surprisingly, little has been written about the ticking clock City face compared with Liverpool and their situation with Mohamed Salah et al.

Mahrez expected to sign up

However, the issue is very much in sharp focus for City, with Guardiola giving the green light to the City board that he wants to keep all three.

The issue for City, though, is, that as things stand, none of the trio has yet put pen to paper.

TEAMtalk understands that the nearest of that trio to extending his stay is Mahrez. He is likely to offered a rise on his current £120,000 a week deal on the back of an excellent season with City.

The former Leicester man is the club’s top scorer this season with 22 goals and six assists in all competitions. And while he appears under-appreciated somewhat by the media, that’s very much not the case at City.

City fearful over Sterling, Jesus futures

However, it is Sterling and Gabriel Jesus whom City are most fearful of losing.

Sterling attracted interest from Barcelona in January, and the Catalan giants remain keen on the England star.

Likewise there is a lot of interest in Jesus. He served a timely reminder of his abilities with one of his best displays in a City shirt on Sunday.

A surprise starter against Liverpool, he underlined his importance to Guardiola with a goalscoring display.

However, we can reveal the player is not short of admirers with Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid amongst those keen on the Brazilian.

Juventus are also long-standing admirers of the 25-year-old.

It was reported back in March how City plan to double his wages from £90,000 a week to £180,000.

And while that should persuade him to stay, the fact that no agreement has been yet reached is causing some alarm at the Etihad.

City will not want to lose either player on a free and will be looking for an answer from them in the coming weeks.

And failure to sign extensions could leave City but with little choice but to listen to offers for the pair.

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