Barcelona weighing up surprise move for Raheem Sterling

Barcelona are weighing up a surprise move for Raheem Sterling, while David De Gea is set to stay…

STERLING WANTED BY BARCELONA

Barcelona are considering a move for Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling, according to reports.

The 26-year-old has another two years left on his contract at the Etihad. However, the Englishman didn’t play as much football as he would’ve liked to last season. For this reason, Sterling may be more open to a move away than he would’ve been this time last year.

As a result of Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez’s impressive performances for the Citizens, Sterling has often found himself further down the pecking order. That being said, Pep Guardiola did start him in the Champions League final, which goes to show that he still holds him in high regard. For this reason, the Citizens are unlikely to let him leave that easily.

As for Barcelona, they see the 26-year-old as an ideal replacement for Ousmane Dembele. In this case, Dembele is yet to renew his contract at the Nou Camp. According to Marca, Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring his situation. Not only that, but Manchester United could also reignite their interest in Dembele if they fail to land Jadon Sancho.

Since Euro 2020 gets underway on Friday, it’s unlikely that any of these players will be on the move over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, they’ll all be looking to put themselves in the shop window by performing for their retrospective countries.

DE GEA TO STAY PUT

One player who’s looking less likely to be on the move is Manchester United’s David De Gea. According to the Sun, the 30-year-old goalkeeper expects to stay at Old Trafford beyond the summer.

Spain will be hoping that he’s put his penalty shootout nightmare from the Europa League final behind him. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted to start him ahead of Dean Henderson in last month’s final, but De Gea missed a crucial penalty to gift the title to Villarreal. He’ll be hoping to have a good Euro 2020, to prove to his club manager that he should be Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper next season.

David de Gea (R) reacts after receiving his silver medal during the UEFA Europa League final football match between Villarreal CF and Manchester United.

WHITE IN DEMAND

Another player who’ll be looking to impress at Euro 2020 is England’s Ben White. Gareth Southgate decided to bring him into the squad to replace the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold. As a result of his performances in the recent friendlies, he’s thrown himself into contention to play against Croatia on Sunday. With Harry Maguire’s fitness under question, there’s a spot in the centre of defence up for grabs.

If he does play a part at Euro 2020, it’ll only increase the value of the Brighton and Hove Albion defender. According to the Mirror, a host of top sides are interested in signing him. We’ve got a feeling he’s going to feature in the transfer news a lot this summer.

Ben White of England reacts during the international friendly match between England and Romania.

Article by Sam Straw

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