Manchester City tell Barcelona they want £67.7m for Raheem Sterling

Posted Wednesday, October 20, 2021 by fourfourtwo.com

Manchester City have set an asking price of £67.7m for Barcelona target Raheem Sterling, according to reports.

The England international has been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium in recent weeks.

Sterling is out of contract at City in 2023 and talks about an extension have hitherto proved fruitless.

The forward is said to be seeking assurances over his status within the squad before he commits his future to the club.

Sterling has found himself in and out of the team for much of this year, and he has started only three of City's eight Premier League games up to now.

The 26-year-old admitted in a recent interview that he would be open to a move abroad in the future.

"If there was the option to go somewhere else for more game time I would be open to it," he said at the FT Business of Sport US summit.

"As an English player all I know is the Premier League and I've always thought: 'You know, maybe one day I'd love to play abroad and see how I would come up against that challenge.'

"I'm not a person that's going to complain. I've not tried to make it a bigger deal than it actually is. I get on with my work, do what I need to do, and I'm just raring to go. [Ready to be] playing football matches regularly. Scoring goals regularly.

"If football for me is not at a certain standard I'm not really at my happiest. If I want my happiness at a certain level I need to be playing football. I need to be scoring goals. And enjoying myself."

Barcelona could offer Sterling an opportunity to play overseas, but Marca reports that it would take an offer of over £67m to prise him away from the Etihad.

That could put the England star out of the reach of Barcelona, who are mired in financial difficulty.