Raheem Sterling’s brilliant start to the season has been beyond imagination. His performance has been on the rise since the campaign has started and the youngster has become a permanent candidate in Pep Guardiola’s starting lineup.
Following his solid start to the season, Sterling is set for a huge pay hike as City are considering to tie down the player with a new deal. CEO Ferran Soriano and Sporting Director Tixiki Begiristain have taken the initiative and Sterling could pocket £200,000 a week if he agrees to the new term.
But the story doesn’t end there and has another angle to it. Manchester City’s interest in Alexis Sanchez has been growing stronger with every passing day and we might see the Arsenal star donning the Sky Blue jersey in this January.
But Arsenal were successful in keeping him away from joining City when they came calling for the player earlier. Arsene Wenger knows the trick of transfer very well and it is being speculated that the French gaffer might demand Raheem Sterling in a swap deal.
Sanchez’s performance for the North Londoners had been pretty impressive but this season it hasn’t been the same. The Chilean attacker has managed only one goal in the Premier League but despite his off-form, his stock has remained pretty steady and Pep Guardiola would love to reunite with his former disciple.
Arsenal were previously linked with Sterling in summer but Pep was adamant to give the English international a chance to prove his worth and he has repaid his faith in some style. Sterling’s brilliant form has also seen his value skyrocketing for the Three Lions side and he is likely to be the first choice for Gareth Southgate when the World Cup starts next year.
But Sterling’s departure is unlikely to happen at the Etihad Stadium as Guardiola is unlikely to allow one of his frontmen to join his rivals, which could hurt his aspiration to win the supreme prize in this year’s Premier League.
The Citizens paid a whopping £49m for the 22-year-old and it would be absolutely foolish to let him go like this. Wenger accused Sterling as a diver following City’s 3-1 triumph over Arsenal this season. There was strong debate as Sterling went down too easily following a challenge form Nacho Monreal which the French gaffer thought was “an act of diving”.
City are seemingly very interested in a deal but Arsenal won’t let Sanchez leave unless their demand is fulfilled and it could stir up the transfer market in the near future.
