Manchester City fans can heave a sigh of relief at long last. Prized asset Micah Richards has eventually penned down a long term contract at the City of Manchester Stadium. The player’s contract with the club was due to end in 2010 and there was much speculation that the 19 year old England international defender could leave Man City before long.

But now Richards’ contract with City will keep him in the blue half of Manchester until 2013. The player himself is buoyed that a contract agreement has ultimately been reached and says:

I’ve always wanted to be at this club and signing this five-and-a-half-year contract shows that. It puts all the speculation to bed. I can concentrate on the rest of the season now. The manager has been great. We’re going to fight for Europe, which is a massive achievement. I try to put in 100% every match and hopefully I can keep playing that way and playing for my country as well.

Man City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson too is delighted at the news:

This is fantastic news. It shows we are building for the future by securing one of our most talented players on a longest-term contract.

And I guess the Man City fans too will be over the moon with this news.

Micah Richards might just be still only 19 years of age but his maturity and quality in defence has sparked interest in a plethora of top English Pemier League clubs. Several clubs have been touted as the next destination of the England international defender before long but it appears that Richards has squashed all those transfer speculations by publicly declaring to sign a new contract with the Premiership high flyers.

Sky Sports reports that Richards has vowed to sign a contract extension soon and that he is not going anywhere. The highly versatile player who has performed exceptionally well both at right back and in central defence was quoted as saying;

I have got two-and-a-half years on my contract and I am not going anywhere. There is no time scale in my mind, just when it’s ready to be signed it will be signed. I am 100% going to sign for the club. There’s nothing to worry about. Things don’t happen overnight.

All smiles then for Man City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, he might still crack his head open about the attacking department but he can now rest assured that his defence will be as strong as ever.

Problem at Manchester City. The highflying Premier League club with a genuine chance of finishing in a UEFA Champions League place at the end of the season may have to play next season without their most influential defender Micah Richards. The Telegraph reports that the 19-year old England international defender is demanding higher wages as his reputation and fame go on multiplying.

Richards still has two-and-a-half years of his contract left to fulfill but the British newspaper reveals that Richards is not happy and is asking for a hike in wages up to £75,000 a week. This is way beyond the club’s current pay scale and it is reported that City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson would be ready to sell Richards in the summer and draft in an experienced defender.

But Richards denies any rift between him and the club over wages. He says:

It is frustrating to hear people talk about my new contract at City and make out that the reason I haven’t signed yet is because I am being greedy when they don’t know the facts. I have still got two-and-a-half years left on my current deal – it is not as though I am in my last year or six months – and things don’t happen overnight.

Well, is Micah Richards really asking for more wage as an club leak has it or it all media balderdash?

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It appears that Micah Richards’ future at the City of Manchester Stadium had been in some doubt, with Newcastle and Tottenham sniffing around the England defender. However, the Daily Mail report that the 19-year-old is set to sign an extremely lucrative contract which will keep him at the club for many seasons to come.

Kevin Keegan had ambitiously targeted the 19-year-old as his first signing since taking over at Newcastle for the second time and Spurs had also expressed an interest in the England defender.

But Richards’ advisers had insisted all along that staying at Eastlands was their priority and Sportsmail can reveal that the player is set to sign a four-and-a-half-year deal to commit his future to Sven Goran Eriksson’s side.

It was surely always going to be a tall order for any club to wrest City’s star defender from their grasp, especially when you consider the investment being made by Thai chairman Thaksin Shinawatra.

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If it was reported in The Sun or the Daily Star, you probably wouldn’t give it the time of day. However, the-ever-so-slightly-more-respected Guardian are reporting that Newcastle are tabling a bid for Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards.

Micah Richards is one of three players Kevin Keegan hopes to sign for Newcastle United before the transfer window closes at the end of this month. Although Keegan is already understood to have made contact with the Manchester City defender’s representatives, Sven-Goran Eriksson is unlikely to accept the loss of one of his team’s brightest talents.

Is Kevin Keegan having a laugh or is there a glimmer of hope due to Richards’ reported wage demands not being met at the City of Manchester Stadium? It’s surely unthinkable that the 19-year-old will leave a club with pretty high ambitions of their own to join the Magpies!

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