Manchester City have suffered a major blow in their pursuit of Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala.
The 21-year-old has been the talk of the town across European football over recent years, courtesy of his performances for the Bavarian giants and Germany on the international scene.
Musiala has understandably attracted interested from a number of elite sides, including Barcelona, who were supposedly targeting a January swoop for the forward.
Man City have also been heavily linked with the winger in the past, with Pep Guardiola now aiming to build a new era of success on the blue side of Manchester.
The Citizens have work to do next week in order to keep their Champions League dreams alive, after losing the first leg of their knockout phase playoff 3-2 to European champions Real Madrid.
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Man City suffer major Musiala blow
As relayed by German journalist Florian Plettenberg, Bayern Munich have taken some considerable measures to protect the services of Musiala from potential suitors.
The youngster has signed a new deal at the Allianz Arena, committing his future to the Bundesliga leaders until the end of the 2029-30 term.
As well its long-term nature, the contract also contains a £145m release clause, active until the winter transfer window of the 2028-29 campaign.
During the final 18 months of the deal, Musiala's release clause will be placed at £83m, hardly a bargain for a possible purchaser of the German.
As a result, the likes of Man City and Barcelona are set to find it extremely difficult to lure the winger out of the Bavarian club anytime soon.
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Man City's winter business
Following a disastrous start to the Premier League term, Man City acted decisively during the January transfer window to bolster their first-team ranks.
Uncharacteristically leaky at the back in 2024-25 up until the New Year, the Citizens secured the services of centre-backs Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.
There were also additions to Guardiola's group further up the field, with Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmoush joining from Porto and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively.
Carter White
