Football
Richard Jolly, ESPN.com writer 10y

Martin Demichelis eyeing new Manchester City contract

Martin Demichelis has told the Manchester Evening News that he has set his sights on earning a new contract with Manchester City and hopes to stay at the Etihad Stadium until 2016.

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The centre-back has entered the final season of the two-year deal he signed when he joined from Atletico Madrid in 2013.

While defending champions City have made Eliaquim Mangala the most expensive defender in the history of British football, Demichelis has been an ever-present in the Premier League this season, continuing his partnership with captain Vincent Kompany.

The 33-year-old, who played for Argentina in the World Cup final, feels he can carry on operating at the highest level for another two years.

He said: "I am playing every game, every two to three days, so I am just enjoying it and taking it game by game.

"I would be happy to stay this year and then one more year because I think I will still have the quality to play at this level."

Demichelis, who helped City win the Premier League and the Capital One Cup in his first season in Manchester, returns to his former club Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

He won four Bundesliga titles for Bayern, for whom he played between 2003 and 2010, and was part of the team that reached the Champions League final under Louis van Gaal.

He added: "It will be extremely emotional for me because Bayern were the club that gave me the chance to come to Europe and play, and I was there for seven-and-a-half years.

"I am looking forward to going back to the stadium and playing against old teammates."

City have never been beyond the round of 16 in Europe's premier club competition, and Demichelis said: "The aim of this club is to improve year after year, and the next big step is to get out of the group stages and take it from there. We have the quality to do it."

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