England Star 'Crazy' For Barcelona
07 October, 2021
England and Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling, whose playing time under Pep Guardiola has been cut drastically short this season, is reportedly desperate to join Barcelona.
Despite an impressive first few campaigns with the Citizens, it seems the 26-year-old is closer to leaving the club than he is to getting his spot back in Guardiola's strongest starting XI.
According to Spanish publication Sport, Sterling is "crazy" for the Catalan club and almost signed for them on a loan deal towards the end of the previous transfer window.
It is suggested that the England international was a secret target for Barca in the last week of the window, but the transfer seemingly fell through when City failed to bring in a top striker.
Harry Kane was tipped to join the Premier League champions from Tottenham Hotspur, before Cristiano Ronaldo was reportedly identified as a target for the Citizens, but he then made a sensational return to Manchester United instead.
It is further claimed that the relationship between Barcelona and Sterling's camp has remained healthy in recent weeks, with it likely that a mutual interest is maintained ahead of the coming windows.
Sterling, it is reported, wants to leave City due to his lack of game time this season, and sees the Blaugrana as a potential next destination given their limited options in attack.
After arriving at the Manchester-based club from Liverpool in 2015, Sterling has amassed an impressive 302 appearances for City, during which he has scored 115 goals and provided a further 88 assists.
Source: www.soccerladuma.co.za