Man City plan to sell Sterling despite Euro 2020 heroics
Manchester City are willing to use Raheem Sterling's sale to finance possible moves for Jack Grealish and Harry Kane, according to the Athletic.
Raheem Sterling enjoyed an impressive showing at Euro 2020. One of the heroes on England’s road to the final, Sterling was rightly chosen in UEFA’s Best XI of the tournament in recognition of his performance.
Before the tournament the 26-year-old forward had been struggling for his place at Manchester City over the course of last season, according to the Athletic, Pep Guardiola’s position on the player has not changed despite his Euro 2020 heroics, with the club ready to offload him to finance other operations.
City’s two big targets in this summer’s transfer market are Harry Kane and Jack Grealish, but of course the two won’t come cheap. And to raise the cash necessary, City will not hesitate in putting Sterling on the market, particularly knowing that they may generate even more cash for his sale following his performance at Euro 2020.
Options for Sterling: Arsenal and Tottenham
The problem for City, however, is that is not the ideal moment on the market to sell an asset like Sterling. Arsenal would be delighted to make room for him, but it would be difficult to convince the Jamaican-born striker of a move to a club that will not compete in Europe next season.
Tottenham is also an option, although, as things stand, Spurs intention is to convince Kane to stay. Though if Kane does move on to City, Spurs could look favorably on signing Sterling, who could play an important role at the Tottenham Stadium.
In fact, Sterling’s name has already been mentioned, along with that of Gabriel Jesús, in a possible swap deal for Kane.
Outside of England the list of possible destinations appears complicated. There is talk of Barcelona and Real Madrid, although both have limited liquidity and, in the case of Madrid, the little cash that there is available would be used to try to sign Kylian Mbappé.
As has been reported in the UK, Sterling planned to sit down and talk to City about his future after Euro 2020. And, according to the Athletic, it now seems that those talks will focus on facilitating his departure from the Etihad.