The media won’t leave Raheem Sterling alone. The 26-year-old previously admitted disappointment with a lack of playing time under Pep Guardiola and continues to be linked with a move away from Manchester City.
The latest rumour comes from El Nacional who say Barcelona have ‘asked about’ Sterling and could make the English international Xavi’s first signing since being appointed manager.
But the likelihood of Barca stumping up enough money to lure Sterling from the Etihad Stadium is slim. The Catalans have more than £1bn of debt and have Philippe Coutinho, Ansu Fati, Memphis Depay and Ousmane Dembele who can operate in Sterling’s role, so they don’t have a fervent need for Sterling.
El Nacional say a January move could be on the cards as the 26-year-old worries about being omitted from England’s World Cup squad ahead of Qatar 2022, but City aren’t going to let a valuable asset leave midseason as it leaves them little time to replace him before the winter transfer window shuts.
The Premier League defending champions seldom do big business in January, so it’s hard to see Barcelona having success. Sterling has scored only two goals with two assists from 15 games across the board, starting just six times, so he’s not having the best season.
But that probably isn’t going to translate to him leaving for Barca at the turn of the year.