SPECULATION has grown over Raheem Sterling’s Manchester City future after he was pictured with a Real Madrid shirt draped over one of his shoulders for an interview with a Spanish newspaper.
The Englishman reiterated that he is happy at City, but refused to rule out a move abroad in the future – while talking about the size and history of Real Madrid.
How Real Madrid could take to the field next season
Raheem Sterling posed with a Real Madrid shirt
SunSport exclusively revealed last week that the Spanish giants are ready to go all out to sign the 25-year-old England star in the summer.
And City’s Champions League ban could make keeping £180million-rated Sterling an all-the-more difficult task for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Ahead of the clash between the two clubs next week, Sterling sat down with AS and discussed his thoughts on Real Madrid.
Asked about whether he could see himself in Zinedine Zidane’s line-up, Sterling laughed and replied: “It’s one of those things… Right now I’m at City and I’m really happy.
“But I say Real Madrid are a fantastic club, when you see the white shirt you know exactly what the club stands for, it’s massive.
“But at the same time, I have a contract with City now and I have to respect this. But it’s a fantastic club.”
The arrival of Sterling could kick-start another bumper summer of spending for Real Madrid, as Zidane aims to rebuild the side that won an astonishing three back-to-back Champions Leagues.
With skipper Sergio Ramos’ contract beginning to wind down, and the two parties having reached an impasse in negotiations, Madrid could recruit the highly-rated Dayot Upamecano to strengthen their defence.
The 21-year-old will be available for £50million in the summer – with Arsenal and Bayern Munich also on his tail.
His arrival could strengthen a back-line still featuring the likes of Raphael Varane, Marcelo and Dani Carvajal – with Thibaut Courtois behind them between the sticks.
Casemiro and Luka Modric have been generals of a midfield that has swept all before them in recent years – and they could finally be joined in the Bernabeu engine room by Paul Pogba this summer.
The Frenchman will have just a year left on his Manchester United contract – with Zidane eager to land his compatriot at long last.
Karim Benzema has been an intelligent stalwart of the Real Madrid juggernaut, and could soon be flanked by a new combination of wing-wizards.
Eden Hazard will have had time to fully find his feet in Madrid by the time next season rolls around.
And with he and Sterling in tip-top form flanking the wily Benzema, Real Madrid will be tough to stop in Spain and in Europe, as they seek a return to dominance once again.
Real Madrid to launch all-out assault to get £180m Raheem Sterling in the wake of Man City’s two-year UEFA ban
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
