Barcelona could sign Sterling, admits Guardiola
Carlo Garganese
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:54 CDT
- 3 min read
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has refused to rule out that Raheem Sterling could join Barcelona.
The England international has been heavily linked with a transfer to Camp Nou in recent months and the talk has reignited this week.
El Nacional reported on Tuesday that Guardiola was preparing to table a swap offer that would see Sterling move to Barcelona in exchange for midfielder Frenkie De Jong.
WHO ARE THE MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS IN THE WORLD?
When asked if Sterling could join Barca, Pep refused to rule it out.
What did Guardiola say about Sterling?
"If Barcelona are interested in any of our players, I am convinced that they can get them,” Guardiola said according to Mundo Deportivo.
“Barca continues to be an attractive club, more than attractive. The city, the club, the history and this for the trainers, for the players always seduces a lot.
"If Barcelona interests one of our players, the will set up the machinery into operation, it is a liner.
“Barca can use their media to influence signings. That’s the thing about Barcelona; they can do what they want, good or bad.”
Sterling is known to be unhappy in Manchester having lost his first-XI place in the Man City team this year.
Despite starring for England at Euro 2020, Pep has mostly favoured other players and Sterling even admitted last month that he was open to joining Barca.
What did Sterling say about leaving Man City?
"If there was the opportunity to go somewhere else for more game time I would be open to it at this moment in time," he told FT.
"As I said, football is the most important thing to me — challenges that I have set myself from a young age and dreams as well.
"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 to see how I would come up against that challenge."
Sterling joined Man City in 2015 from Liverpool and has since scored 116 goals in 307 games, winning the Premier League on three occasions.
