Confirmed: Man City make Phil Foden transfer decision after disappointing season

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Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Manchester City are planning to hand Phil Foden a contract extension despite his underwhelming form over the past 18 months.

The 25-year-old has gone from Premier League Player of the Season in 2024 to being an almost forgotten man at Man City in 2026. In recent weeks, Foden has increasingly found it difficult to get regular starting opportunities under Pep Guardiola.

This is despite the fact that the attacking midfielder actually enjoyed an encouraging run of form in late 2025. Between the end of November and mid-December, Foden scored a whopping six goals in four Premier League games.

However, his goal against Crystal Palace on 14 December would prove to be his last. He has not found the back of the net in 24 games now, and he has had to settle for a place on the bench more often than not.

He has been an unused substitute in three of City's last nine games, and he did not play a single minute in the Etihad club's disappointing Champions League tie with Real Madrid.

City still believe in Foden

Despite this, The Times reports that City are determined to hand Foden a new contract. This confirms FootballTransfers' reporting from September 2025.

City, of course, acknowledge that Foden has struggled to hit his previous heights over the past 18 months, but they nevertheless retain full faith in him to eventually explode again. He is simply too good to keep playing at his current, underwhelming level.

Consequently, agreeing a new contract is becoming an increasingly important priority, even if talks are still described as just "preliminary" at this stage. His existing deal expires next year.

"Those in senior positions at City are very protective and supportive of Foden, who is viewed as the jewel in the club’s crown, the local boy from Stockport who has a lot of credit in the bank for the role he played in the six Premier League title wins of the Guardiola era," the report states.

Guardiola, whose future at the Etihad is uncertain heading into the summer, insisted that Foden "will be back" after beating Southampton in the FA Cup semi-final.

"It is a question of time when Phil will be back," the Spaniard said.

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