Recent reports claim Real Madrid to be interested in Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling who is yet to sign a contract extension. His current deal expires in the summer of 2020 and no words have come out of the club ranks over ongoing negotiations.
The 23-year-old was expected to be rewarded for the impressive performances he has put in this season. Sterling has been a key figure in City’s remarkable campaign with 20 goals and 10 assists in 36 appearances, across all competitions.
He has undergone a massive transformation under the guidance of Pep Guardiola. Sterling’s primary years in a City jersey were not as illustrious as the fans at Etihad hoped after witness his £49m arrival from Liverpool. The winger was struggling to make the right decisions on the pitch especially in front of goal. He has showcased massive improvement partly due to his world-class teammates but also due to the confidence boost he has received from the manager.
Guardiola was heavily invested in acquiring Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal to replace the England international but after watching Sterling thrive, decided to settle without a flank addition. Arsenal’s and the player’s agent’s asking price was a major concern but Pep did not put much of a fight against his rival, Jose Mourinho.
He instead opted to shell out close to the same amount for a centre-half signing of Aymeric Laporte from La Liga side, Athletic Bilbao. He only wanted Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez as a second option to Leroy Sane who had picked up a nasty ankle injury at the time.
Sterling’s doubts over the first-team spot were pretty much over since the January transfer window ended and this will raise concerns over why talks of an extension have still not been raised.
Real Madrid are plotting a major overhaul of world-class talents to answer their domestic troubles ahead of the 2018/19 campaign. They have managed to overtake Valencia in the 3rd spot of the La Liga table but are still 14 points behind their bitter rivals and league leaders, Barcelona.
They have already bowed out of the Copa Del Rey and have vested all their hopes in the UEFA Champions League. Having won the trophy two times in a row, the fans at Santiago Bernabeu will be gleaming over a third win.
Florentino Perez has been eyeing a move for Brazilian superstar, Neymar and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard. Sterling is a downgrade option to consider but since none of the other targets have materialized the Galacticos might have to settle for the 23-year-old.
