Manchester City offer record-breaking contract to midfielder amid Liverpool and Manchester United interest | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City are doing all they can to try and retain Xavier Parker as part of their Academy roster with a record-breaking contract on the table.

Parker’s stellar performances across the under-18 and under-21 age groups during the 2025/26 campaign have established the playmaker as a seemingly ‘generational’ talent, alerting scouting departments across the country.

The pressure on Manchester City’s hierarchy has only intensified following concrete operational movements from across the North West, with Manchester United making attempts to lure the talent to Carrington.

However, City academy decision makers recognise that losing an asset of Xavier Parker’s calibre to a direct historic rival would represent a significant blow, and perhaps one that could come back to haunt them in future.

Man City offer Xavier Parker stellar contract

As such, according to The Secret Scout, Manchester City are ‘pushing hard’ to retain the highly-rated attacking midfield talent and have offered a ‘record first professional contract’ for an academy player as part of those attempts.

It is further detailed that Liverpool have also presented their own vision and pathway to the 16-year-old, although Manchester City are determined not to lose the player.

Man City are future-proofing their first-team

By offering financial terms unheard of for a 16-year-old scholarship graduate, Hugo Viana and Academy director Thomas Krucken are aiming to neutralise the packages being put forward by Liverpool and Manchester United.

The Anfield club’s new sporting department led by Andoni Iraola in the first-team is expected to have placed younger recruitment at the centre of their strategy, presenting Parker’s representatives with perhaps a smoother route to first-team opportunities.

The final decision now rests entirely with the teenage midfielder himself, his family, and close advisors. While the allure of senior integration paths at Anfield or Old Trafford remain a serious factor, City’s staff could highlight Maresca’s hands-on reputation with young players – recently highlighted by the signing of Jeremy Monga from Leicester City.