Manchester City want to keep Raheem Sterling (Picture: Getty)

Manchester City plan to open contract talks with Raheem Sterling in a bid to end Arsenal’s interest in the England international.

The Gunners expressed an interest in signing Sterling when City approached Arsenal over a deadline day move for Alexis Sanchez in August.

Pep Guardiola was unwilling to let Sterling leave and City want to prove their faith in the former Liverpool man by handing him improved terms.

The 22-year-old earns around £160,000-a-week at the Etihad but the Daily Star claim he could substantially improve those terms by penning a new deal.

Arsenal failed with a deadline day bid for Monaco winger Thomas Lemar and it’s clear that Arsene Wenger wants to add a wide man to his squad.

Arsenal were interested in a swap deal for Sanchez and Sterling (Picture: Getty)

Sterling faces huge competition for a starting berth in the north-west but Guardiola says he wants him to stay.

‘Raz [Raheem] is staying here,’ Guardiola said.

‘The club trust him, that is why we have invested a lot of money in him, so the players we have are going to stay.

‘If they want to leave they are going to leave, but he wants to stay. If players want to leave they have to ask the chairman, but there is no chance of that. He is going nowhere.’