Manchester City youngster Rico Lewis is reportedly in line for a mammoth 400% pay rise should he commit his future to the Premier League champions.
The 18-year-old academy product has earned the trust of Pep Guardiola this season and is enjoying a breakthrough year in the Citizens' first team.
Lewis has one goal and one assist to show from 15 appearances in all competitions during the 2022-23 season, starting five of his side's last seven Premier League games.
Lewis's emergence had forced Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo to take up more peripheral roles in recent weeks, and the latter surprisingly departed on loan for Bayern Munich in January, further increasing the teenager's opportunities for starts.
The 18-year-old's current contract with Man City only runs until the end of next season, but the Etihad giants are working on fresh terms as a matter of priority.
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Should Lewis remain loyal to Guardiola's side for the next few years, the Daily Star claims that the defender can expect a 400% salary hike in any new contract he signs.
The report states that Lewis currently earns a modest £5,000 per week at the Etihad Stadium, but his salary will be bumped up to £25,000 per week as part of the long-term agreement.
The teenager is supposedly set to commit his future to the club for five years until 2028, and there is nothing to suggest that he will not put pen to paper in the coming months.
Lewis is approaching his 10th anniversary as a Man City player, having joined the Citizens' youth ranks in 2013, and he completed his first 90 minutes in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Lewis operated as an inverted left-back in that 1-0 loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he already has three caps to his name for England's Under-19s.
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Ahead of the beginning of England's Euro 2024 qualifying bid in March, there have been suggestions that Lewis could already be in line for a senior call-up after catching the eye of Gareth Southgate.
Furthermore, Guardiola supposedly believes that the Englishman can fill the Cancelo role adequately following the Portuguese's loan to Bayern, which includes a €70m (£62.7m) permanent option.
Cancelo was an unused substitute in wins over Tottenham and Wolverhampton Wanderers last month before departing for the Allianz Arena, where he already has two assists from his first two appearances.
However, Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has admitted that it will be "difficult" for his side to sign Cancelo permanently at the end of the season.
Ben Knapton
