Raheem Sterling will not commit his future to Manchester City until he receives assurances over his status in the squad, according to reports.
The England international is preparing to enter the final 18 months of his contract at the Etihad Stadium.
City want to tie the forward down to a new deal, but The Sun writes that Sterling is biding his time.
The former Liverpool star has slipped down the pecking order in Pep Guardiola's squad throughout this year.
Once a guaranteed starter in the City attack, Sterling has increasingly found himself on the bench in recent months.
The England winger found himself among the substitutes during the club's run to the Champions League final last term.
He has also found starts hard to come by at the beginning of the current campaign, having been named in a Premier League XI only twice so far.
Sterling was left out of the starting line-up when City faced Chelsea and Liverpool, with Jack Grealish and Phil Foden preferred on the left, and Gabriel Jesus deployed on the right.
Sterling has therefore been left unsure of his standing within the squad and is not willing to put pen to paper at present.
He will only resume contract talks with City once he is confident that he remains a central part of Guardiola's plans.
Sterling continues to shine for England and was one of the standout performers at this summer's European Championship.
And the 26-year-old, who joined City in 2015, does not want his career to stall at club level.
It could therefore become a use-him-or-lose-him situation for Guardiola, who continues to value Sterling's contributions.
But unless the England international becomes a more regular starter in the months to come, we could see him seek pastures new next summer.
City will not want to risk losing him for free in 2023 and would presumably be willing to listen to offers ahead of next season if Sterling rejects their offer of a new deal.
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