Manchester City Speedster Is On The Radar Of Barcelona: Should Pep Cash In On Him?

In a recent tweet, journalist Josep Capdevila revealed that Manchester City speedster Raheem Sterling is on the radar of Barcelona. It is understood that the Catalan giants are eyeing a loan move for the Man City winger this summer.

Me cuentan que el Barça trabaja para devolver a Adama Traoré a los Wolves y buscar una nueva cesión, la de Sterling pic.twitter.com/0G79PGajGF

— Josep Capdevila (@josepcapdevila) May 13, 2022

Sterling’s Decent Numbers At Manchester This Season

Sterling is having another impressive campaign at the Etihad Stadium despite struggling to find consistency at times with his productivity in the final third. The England international has found the back of the net 17 times and grabbed eight assists in 46 matches for the Mancunian giants this season across all competitions.

The 27-year-old has been a consistent performer in the attacking end of the field based on his average of 2.0 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He has even been careful when interchanging possession with his teammates, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 85.6% in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).

Should Manchester City Boss Pep Guardiola Cash In On Sterling?

Sterling has got the pace to cause a lot of problems for his marker and can get to the byline any time he wants out on the wide areas. He can cut inside from the left to score or create some goals for his team and usually keeps the ball well in the final third. The 74-time England international is primarily a left-sided wide player but can also fill in as a right-winger or assume the duties of a secondary striker down the middle if needed.

However, with the future arrival of Erling Haaland, Sterling might find himself surplus to requirements at the Etihad Stadium.

If Man City head coach Pep Guardiola is not planning to play the English wing wizard regularly next season, he should consider cashing in on him and reinvest the money generated from his sale to bring in a suitable replacement this summer.

At 27, Sterling is playing at the peak of his playing career, so losing him to Barcelona will be a big blow unless the Mancunian giants decide to sign a replacement who would be able to compete with Phil Foden for a regular starting spot at the Etihad in the coming seasons.