Barca target Man City star as Griezmann replacement
Robin Bairner
- 18 Sep 2021 03:40 CDT
- 3 min read
Barcelona have their sights set on a Manchester City star to replace Antoine Griezmann in their offensive line.
Griezmann was the subject of a spectacular Deadline Day move back to Atletico Madrid, the club he left to join Barcelona in the summer of 2019.
The World Cup winner, though, was not adequately replaced in the Catalan side’s ranks. Luuk de Jong was brought into the squad from Sevilla, but he did not represent a like-for-like replacement in a squad that also saw Lionel Messi depart for Paris Saint-Germain in August.
The Barcelona backroom staff have been searching for a replacement to Griezmann and Sport believes that they have found an ideal target in the form of Man City’s Raheem Sterling.
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Sterling has been at Man City for six years and has been a mainstay of the team that won three Premier League titles and reached a first Champions League final in 2020/21.
However, the stock of the England player has fallen in recent months. Man City have seen the likes of Ferran Torres and Phil Foden explode, while they also spent a Premier League record fee on Jack Grealish in the summer.
With the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus in their squad, Pep Guardiola’s side can well afford to allow Sterling to look for a new club in January.
The player, meanwhile, is liable to be open to a move. At 26 years old, he is reaching his peak and spending much of his time kicking his heels on the Man City bench is unlikely to be appealing at this point in his career – especially if a giant club like Barcelona can offer him a starring role.
Given Barca’s situation, though, the big question is whether they can afford Sterling.
Barcelona announced big losses for the 2020/21 season on 17 September, and while key players have reduced their wages, there is unlikely to be leeway for securing a player of Sterling’s calibre in January.
