Although Manchester City may be casting one eye ahead to the January transfer window, the board must prioritise giving Kevin De Bruyne a new contract first.

It was suggested recently by Italian Football journalist Fabrizio Romano on his 'Here We Go' podcast that the Citizens have begun negotiations with the Belgian midfielder over a new contract with the club.

The 29-year-old has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League since joining from Wolfsburg in 2015, having contributed a superb 58 goals and 96 assists in 233 appearances for the Etihad Stadium outfit (per Transfermarkt).

Although his current contract is set to run until 2023, extending that further would all but ensure that he stays with City for the rest of his career, while he is still able to play at the very top.

However, with the Belgian's superb passing and crossing ability a key part of his current game, we see no reason why he couldn't play at the top well into his 30's, even if he does lose a yard of place.

Therefore, the Citizens must prioritise giving the midfielder a new deal as soon as possible, to ensure that the £108 million rated maestro is fully focused on pushing City back up the league.

During his time with City, De Bruyne has won the Premier League on two occasions, the FA Cup once, and the League Cup four times (per Transfermarkt).

Securing his long-term future would give City the best chance of adding to that trophy haul, as the Belgian international demonstrated his immense quality in the Premier League last season, as he contributed 13 goals and 20 assists in 35 top-flight appearances, which earned him a season rating of 7.97 - the best of any player across the campaign (per WhoScored).

After that wonderful season, he was heavily praised by Alan Shearer on Match of the Day, with the former Newcastle United man saying:

“He’s unbelievable, that right foot is absolutely deadly and he provides ridiculous entertainment. The speed of his feet and to have the ability [to score].”

“When you’re a forward, he finds you. He’s got every right to go for goal but he’s probably trying to get the assist record, which he gets, and the weight of his pass in behind is superb.

“Whatever it is, he can do it. What a player, what a season, he’s unbelievable. I gave Player of the Year to Jordan Henderson as well but he has been a stand-out performer.” (per Manchester Evening News)

Therefore, De Bruyne is clearly a hugely important player in City's side, and fans will be hoping that he follows Guardiola's suit and commits his future to the club in the coming weeks.

And, in other news... Manchester City dodged a huge bullet by not signing playmarker loved by Iniesta in 2018