Raheem Sterling’s future at Manchester City is up in the air as he’s not commanding a starting place under Pep Guardiola and has yet to put pen to paper on a contract extension. He’s wanted assurances over gametime before committing.
The 26-year-old has been linked with Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid and Barcelona of late and recently admitted he would consider leaving City for more playing time too, so could this be his last season at the Etihad?
As reported by the Guardian, Sterling said: “If there was the option to go somewhere else for more game time I would be open to it. As an English player all I know is the Premier League and I’ve always thought: ‘You know, maybe one day I’d love to play abroad and see how I would come up against that challenge.’”
The England international joined City from Liverpool in 2015 and has gone on to make 302 appearances in all competitions, scoring 115 with 88 assists. Sterling has scored 66 goals in his last 137 games, but he’s no longer a regular and hasn’t been in the best form recently.
Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres and Riyad Mahrez have all amassed more minutes than Sterling this season, so he might be forced to move on. It’s unlikely the 26-year-old would be transferred in the winter transfer window, so movement might come next summer.
In other news, Premier League manager ‘in the frame’ to replace Pep Guardiola at Man City in 2023