Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku has signed a new five-year contract with the club, extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2031.
The 24-year-old Belgium international joined City from Stade Rennais in 2023 and has since established himself as one of the English Premier League's most exciting wide players. Doku has made 131 appearances for City, scoring 22 goals, while also showcasing his versatility by operating on both flanks and in more central positions.
"I have loved my time at City so far, so to have the opportunity to stay for longer is a fantastic feeling," Doku said, after signing the new deal yesterday, which will see him play under new coach Enzo Maresca.
"This club means so much to me. I have developed as both a player and a person. I feel settled here, and I know I am improving every day because of the work the staff here do
"With Enzo here now, I am really excited about the new season. His style of football is the kind we love, so that's exciting for the players.
"The City fans are also a huge reason I have signed this new contract. I feel their love and support, and it means the world to me. I want to focus on bringing them the success they deserve."
Doku has helped City win five major trophies since his arrival, including the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Fifa Club World Cup, and FA Community Shield, which they will once againsgt contest on Sunday when they face league champions Arsenal.
He enjoyed his best season during the club's last campaign, making 47 appearances and contributing eight goals and 14 assists as City won both the League Cup and FA Cup. His performances included a decisive contribution in the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, where he scored the equaliser and assisted Nico's late winner in City's 2-1 victory.
Doku also made an immediate impact during his debut season, registering six goals and 11 assists in more than 40 appearances as City secured a fourth successive Premier League title.
Meanwhile, Fifa World Cup 2026 hero Ferran Torres is edging closer to a move to European champions Paris Saint-Germain with the confirmation that he has yet to return to training with Barcelona.
The scorer of the winning goal in the World Cup final was due to report back to start training with Barcelona on Wednesday, but the 26-year-old was permitted by the club not to return. There was no sign of Torres yesterday either, as he continues to negotiate his future with PSG at the same time as the two clubs discuss his transfer fee.
Torres has one year left on his current contract with the Catalans and the club would prefer to sell him now rather than see him walk away on a free transfer at the end of June.
It is rumoured that the fee would be between €40 million and €50m (about R747m to R934m). His transfer would leave the club without a specialist centre-forward.
While Torres has permission to miss training, several other Barcelona players, including midfielder Marc Casado and defenders Hector Fort and Jofre Torrents, are training apart from the main squad as the club looks for new destinations for them, too.
Casado is thought to be a target for clubs in the Saudi Pro League and would also command a fee of around €40m, while Fort has been linked with a possible return to Elche after spending last season there on loan. | IANS