Dubai: Manchester City are set to hand boss Roberto Mancini a new £22 million (Dh130 million), four-year contract — even if he fails to seal the Premier League title on Sunday, according to reports.
The Sun claimed yesterday that City's owners are preparing to offer the Italian a £2 million-a-year pay rise, earning him a cool £5.5 million annually.
This would make him the country's best-paid manager alongside Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Sun also claimed that Mancini will be offered all the transfer funds he needs as he bids to capture major stars like Arsenal's Robin van Persie and the 21-year-old Lille playmaker Eden Hazard.
Mancini's bumper new contract will reward his efforts in guiding City to the brink of their first league title in 44 years.
City are level on points with United at the top with just one game to go, but Mancini's side have the better goal difference.
City also have the easier game on paper as they are at home to relegation-threatened QPR on Sunday, while United travel to Sunderland.
Mancini would be rightly lauded if City capture the Premier League crown given that rivals United were eight points ahead of them only last month.
But City's 1-0 win over the Red Devils in the Manchester derby last week, coupled with a number of faltering performances by Ferguson's men, have resulted in a stunning turnaround.
Second trophy
If Mancini's men win the title, it would represent their second trophy success under his stewardship following their FA Cup triumph over Stoke City last year.
The charismatic Italian has won plaudits for the no-nonsense way he dealt with temperamental Argentinian forward Carlos Tevez when he refused to play for City during their Champions League match at Bayern Munich last year.
The 47-year-old has also been praised for the canny way he re-introduced Tevez into the City squad in recent weeks and for not buckling under the pressure of going head-to-head with serial title winner Ferguson.
The Sun claimed yesterday that City's owners are preparing to offer the Italian a £2 million-a-year pay rise, earning him a cool £5.5 million annually.
This would make him the country's best-paid manager alongside Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Sun also claimed that Mancini will be offered all the transfer funds he needs as he bids to capture major stars like Arsenal's Robin van Persie and the 21-year-old Lille playmaker Eden Hazard.
Mancini's bumper new contract will reward his efforts in guiding City to the brink of their first league title in 44 years.
City are level on points with United at the top with just one game to go, but Mancini's side have the better goal difference.
City also have the easier game on paper as they are at home to relegation-threatened QPR on Sunday, while United travel to Sunderland.
Mancini would be rightly lauded if City capture the Premier League crown given that rivals United were eight points ahead of them only last month.
But City's 1-0 win over the Red Devils in the Manchester derby last week, coupled with a number of faltering performances by Ferguson's men, have resulted in a stunning turnaround.
Second trophy
If Mancini's men win the title, it would represent their second trophy success under his stewardship following their FA Cup triumph over Stoke City last year.
The charismatic Italian has won plaudits for the no-nonsense way he dealt with temperamental Argentinian forward Carlos Tevez when he refused to play for City during their Champions League match at Bayern Munich last year.
The 47-year-old has also been praised for the canny way he re-introduced Tevez into the City squad in recent weeks and for not buckling under the pressure of going head-to-head with serial title winner Ferguson.
