Femi Ashekun/
Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling has expressed his desire to leave the English Premier League champions, says the Financial Times.
Sterling made the disclosure in an interview at the FT’s Business of Sport US Summit in New York yesterday.
Responding to a question about his lack of recent playing time in the side led by renowned Spanish coach Pep Guardiola, Sterling said:
“If there was an opportunity to go somewhere else, I’d be open to it at this moment in time.”
He suggested he would prefer moving to a club in France or Spain.
The comments reveal frustration at not being considered a regular starter at City for several months.
He signed for City in 2015 from Liverpool for a transfer fee of £49m, a record for an English player at the time. Sterling’s existing contract with City ends in 2023.
His statement is likely to command interest from many of the world’s biggest clubs, but a move may prove difficult at a time when the sport’s multibillion-euro transfer market has been depressed as teams cut back spending on players.
The continent’s clubs have collectively suffered revenue shortfalls worth €8bn during the pandemic because of lost ticketing and broadcasting revenues, according to the European Club Association, the body that represents more than 200 leading sides.
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