Manchester City Football Club News

• Nickname:Sky Blues
• Founded:1887
• Manager:Roberto Mancini

• Ground:City of Manchester Stadium
• Capacity:48,000

City close to Weaver deal

16 Mar 2007 - 11:10:51

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Manchester City are close to agreeing a new deal with goalkeeper Nicky Weaver.

The 28-year-old has returned to the first-team picture this season after three years in the wilderness, but is out of contract in the summer.

Manager Stuart Pearce has relied heavily on the former England Under-21 international this season despite signing Sweden international Andreas Isaksson last summer.

And Pearce is keen to reward the Sheffield-born keeper with a new contract.

"We are close," Pearce told the club's official website.

"Nick has been here for nine years. He is a great kid and he has proved the injury problems he had in the past are over.

"We want to reward him and show our faith in him."

Weaver remains a favourite among the Eastlands faithful after his heroics in the 1999 play-off final penalty shoot-out which saw City return to the second tier of English football.

But until this season, the popular keeper had been plagued by a series of serious knee injuries and underwent a revolutionary cartilage transplant operation in America in a bid to save his career.