Raheem Sterling has two years remaining on his contract at Manchester City and no longer commands a regular starting place under Pep Guardiola, so his future at the Etihad Stadium is up in the air.
The 26-year-old was linked with a move away to Tottenham and Barcelona last summer without a deal ever materialising, but Rio Ferdinand believes he will leave if he’s not featuring regularly enough.
He said on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE: “I don’t think Raheem will be at City next season. He won’t want to sit on the bench – he’s a winner. He’s dedicated to his profession. I think his mind will think that he has to go.
“I think Real Madrid and Barcelona – they’ll have money again. There will be no shortage of takers for Raheem Sterling. If he’s not playing I think those two clubs will be interested.
“You can’t doubt what Sterling has done – I think he’s worth £100 million – in a heartbeat. But if he hasn’t played all season he won’t be going for that.” Ferdinand might be overestimating Barcelona’s resources, however.
The Catalan giants are in £1.2bn of debt and have Memphis Depay, Philippe Coutinho, Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele and Yusuf Demir at their disposal. Real Madrid do have the resources to sign Sterling, having tried to lure Kylian Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu before the summer transfer window shut.
Sterling has made 10 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring one goal with one assist, amassing 461 minutes of playing time. The England international has started only two Premier League games and one in the Champions League, so it’s clear he doesn’t have Guardiola’s trust.
Ferdinand is right that Sterling’s future at City is uncertain, but it remains to be seen if Real would sign him over Mbappe.
In other news, Harry Kane unlikely to join Man City after club position themselves to sign £77m man