Raheem Sterling’s future remains uncertain while his contract at Manchester City runs down, and Real Madrid’s interest could throw a spanner in the works for Pep Guardiola.
Coming off the back of winning La Liga and the Champions League, Real are reportedly keen on the 27-year-old, so City will be desperate to tie Sterling down to a new deal otherwise he could leave on a free transfer next year.
Paddy Kenny believes Los Blancos could be difficult for Sterling to turn down, telling Football Insider: “Real Madrid have a massive pull. Does he think his time is up at City now? Is he wanting a fresh challenge?
“That would explain why he has let his contract run down a little bit. We don’t know want has gone on and Real Madrid is the club everyone wants to play for – they have just won La Liga and the Champions League.
“The opportunity to play for the European champions might be too much for Sterling to turn down.” Sterling has scored 17 goals with nine assists in 47 games across the board this season, so he still has value to City.
The England international has mostly been a regular in the Premier League, but he was benched in the two-legged Champions League semi-final. Sterling was unhappy at City last year because he was left out of big games and history appears to be repeating itself.
Guardiola gave Sterling just 121 minutes of football in City’s quarter-final and semi-final clashes (360mins + 30mins ET), so he might not feel as important as his teammates.
The 27-year-old has made a total of 339 appearances in all competitions since joining the Premier League champions from Liverpool in 2015, scoring 131 goals with 95 assists, but will he add to that tally next season?
In other news, Man City told to sign ‘outstanding’ 23 y/o from PL rivals