Vincent Kompany
Manchester City begin their defence at home to Southampton Reuters

Manchester City captain and defender Vincent Kompany has penned a new six year deal with the Premier League champions; this is the longest contract City have ever offered to a player. The Belgian international was a critical part of the side that claimed the club's first league title in 44 years and the 26 year old is clearly considered an irreplaceable part of the club's future.

"For me if you are good somewhere then there is no reason to look elsewhere," the former Anderlecht and Hamburg player explained, adding, "Man City as a project is not just a project of the owners or the people employed by the club; it is also my project. I have been here since the beginning and I have seen everything at the club change inside and out. I have the feeling that I have contributed to it too. It is good to know that I can be at City for another six years. It is a compliment that the club feels so highly of me."

Kompany was one of the first players to be recruited by City following the take-over of the club by Sheikh Mansour. The determined defender transferred from Bundesliga side Hamburg, in 2008, for an undisclosed fee but has since established himself as a key player for the club, despite the arrival of other more high-profile and expensive players.

Meanwhile, in other news City's pre-season tour of China has netted them a rather unexpected fan - martial arts expert and Hollywood star Jackie Chan. The Citizens are in Beijing for a friendly against Arsenal (click here for an IBTimes UK preview) and met up with the legendary actor at a promotional event for Richard Mille Watches. Speaking at the event, City's French defender, Gael Clichy, was optimistic of his side's chances for the new season.

"I think it's good to have the pressure. It's always good to be at the top but we have to forget about what we did last year. That's because it's going to be a new season with new players and new teams and we will have to fight until the end like we did last season. But we can do it!" the former Gunner said to The Sun.

The other big prize that all of City's players and fans will be eyeing is the Champions League. High expectations were left unfulfilled last season, as the club was eliminated in the group stages. Clichy expects an improvement this year.

"The Champions League will come later on and that will be a big objective for us because last year was a tough group but we felt that we could have done a bit better. The main objective is the Premier League because that's what the fans want, but of course the Champions League would be a massive one. We just want to win as many trophies as we can. Hopefully we can push on from where we left off last season," the left back said.