Contract battle heats up for 16-year-old playmaker
Manchester City are pushing hard to keep Xavier Parker at the club, with a record-breaking first professional contract on the table for the 16-year-old midfielder.
Parker's performances across the under-18 and under-21 age groups during the 2025/26 campaign have marked him out as a generational talent, attracting attention from across the country. The playmaker's situation has become a priority for the club's hierarchy, particularly with concrete moves from across the North West.
Manchester United have made attempts to lure the youngster to Carrington, while Liverpool have also presented their own vision and pathway to the teenager. The prospect of losing a player of Parker's calibre to a direct rival would represent a significant blow, and one that could come back to haunt City in future, according to those inside the academy.
City's offer is understood to be the largest first professional contract ever given to an academy player, as Hugo Viana and Academy director Thomas Krucken aim to neutralise the packages being put forward by both Liverpool and Manchester United.
Liverpool's new sporting department, led by Andoni Iraola, is expected to have placed younger recruitment at the centre of their strategy, and has presented Parker's representatives with what may appear a smoother route to first-team opportunities.
“I think officials from the clubs are working hard to try and retain Xavier Parker as part of their Academy roster,” a source told The Secret Scout.
The final decision now rests entirely with the teenage midfielder, his family, and close advisors. City's staff can point to Enzo Maresca's hands-on reputation with young players, recently highlighted by the signing of Jeremy Monga from Leicester City, as they attempt to convince Parker that his future lies at the Etihad.