Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce is confident that captain Sylvain Distin will agree a contract extension. Distin's current deal does not expire until summer 2007 but he is a crucial part of Pearce's future plans.
"Sylvain is quite aware of how much we think about him," Pearce said. "We want him to stay and we will be having a meeting with him very shortly."
Distin, 27, was the subject of a �5m bid from Newcastle in January, and has also been linked with Liverpool.
David James, Antoine Sibierski, Claudio Reyna, Lee Croft and Stephen Ireland have all agreed new deals with City in the last few months.
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Match of the Day - Post-match interviews