According to reports, Manchester City will have a showdown with Raheem Sterling over the winger’s future at the Etihad. Sterling’s City contract expires at the end of next season, and a decision on his future is expected.
Last season, the England international was not always a regular starter under Pep Guardiola. Despite starting only 23 Premier League games, he managed to score 13 goals.
According to the Mirror, Sterling is now considering terminating his contract and becoming a free agent. A new contract is not out of the question, but he wants assurances from Guardiola as well as an increase in his mega-wages of around £300,000 per week.
Talks have been held over a new deal for the last 12 months but there has been little progress. Arsenal, Tottenham, and Chelsea are all credited with an interest in Sterling, but the Gunners’ hopes were hit by their failure to qualify for the Champions League.
After spending his entire career in England, the player would be open to a move to a team in Europe. The city would rather sell the 27-year-old this summer than let him leave for free in 2023.
As a result, City will hold crunch talks with Sterling to determine his future. He has made 350 appearances for City in all competitions and scored 131 goals.
During his time in Manchester, he won four Premier League titles, four League Cups, and an FA Cup. Before the Champions League semi-final loss to Real Madrid in April, Sterling was asked about his future.
He refused to speak about his situation and said a decision would be made at the end of the season. Sterling said: “At the minute I’m just happy to be playing, happy to be contributing with the team.
“I believe that is the most important point. At this point, I believe it would be selfish of me to discuss any contract situation, and I’m content to play football and see where we stand at the end of the season.”
He also admitted that under Guardiola, he cannot be guaranteed playing time. “It’s a competitive team,” Sterling continued.
“It’s the competition that drives you to excel, and once you’re performing, you just want to keep playing because if you’re scoring, they can help you, win a game, or whatever.” You might just want to keep playing, but you have to accept that there are a lot of players on the team.”
Leave a Reply