Man City 20-year-old 'verbally agrees' new contract as Pep Guardiola beats Erik ten Hag

Manchester City and Nico O'Reilly have reportedly come to an agreement over a new long-term contract at the Etihad Stadium.

The 2005-born academy graduate earned Pep Guardiola's trust in the 2024-25 campaign and enjoyed a breakthrough year at left-back, making 21 senior appearances across all competitions.

O'Reilly proved productive in the final third with five goals and two assists in senior action last season, including five direct involvements from six FA Cup games en route to the final, where City were beaten by Crystal Palace.

O'Reilly also started Man City's opening Club World Cup win over Wydad AC on the left-hand side of defence, but the 20-year-old was then relegated to the bench as Rayan Ait-Nouri began to nail down a spot in the side.

The consensus is that the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man will be Pep Guardiola's first-choice left-back moving forward, plunging O'Reilly's future into slight doubt as the England Under-20 international seeks consistent game time.

City, O'Reilly 'agree' new contract after two rejected bids

However, City were told that it would have been nonsensical to let O'Reilly depart this summer, and according to Fabrizio Romano, the two parties have now verbally agreed on a new contract.

The versatile youngster already had three years left to run on his previous deal, but the Sky Blues have now tied him down for even longer after rebuffing interest from both the Premier League and Bundesliga.

Erik ten Hag's Bayer Leverkusen reportedly saw two bids for O'Reilly rejected, while an unnamed Premier League team also approached Man City over a deal for the youngster but were given the same answer.

As well as improved terms, City and O'Reilly have supposedly also shaken hands on a new shirt number to reflect the England youth international's growing status in the squad.

O'Reilly has been on the books at Man City since 2013, and he won his first piece of major silverware with the club in last year's Community Shield, playing 63 minutes of the win over Manchester United.

What new shirt number could O'Reilly take at Man City?

Following his promotion to the first team, the playmaker-turned-defender donned the number 75 shirt for Man City last season, a jersey sported by just two players before him.

Now, however, the coveted number two shirt is available following Kyle Walker's departure to Burnley, although it would be a shock to see O'Reilly handed that famed jersey given his position, both on the field and within the team.

Alternatively, O'Reilly could take the number 12 last worn a fellow left-back - Angelino - in 2020, or the number 15, which has been vacant since Eliaquim Mangala's exit the year before.

Of course, the '17' is also up for grabs following Kevin De Bruyne's exit after a decade of service, and O'Reilly's playmaking qualities may make him a viable candidate for that shirt too, but not just yet.