Barcelona were reportedly scuppered in their efforts to sign Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, owing to their failure to sign Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to a Barcelona podcast Siempre Positivo, Barcelona were interested in signing Raheem Sterling in the summer transfer window, only to be unsuccessful in their chase of the English forward, as Manchester City were unable to sign Cristiano Ronaldo.
Raheem Sterling joined Manchester City from Liverpool in a controversial move in the summer of 2015. Over the last six years, the 26-year-old has made massive strides in his career, coming a long way from the player he was at Anfield. However, while he has become one of the best players on show in the Premier League, his situation at Manchester City has been a tad-bit precarious.
Indeed, Pep Guardiola has rotated Sterling heavily in the past year or so, which paved the way for rumours that he was seeking a summer exit from the Etihad after featuring 295 times while also chipping in with 115 goals and 87 assists. And there has been no shortage of interest in the English forward either, with Barcelona, in particular, courting him in the ongoing transfer window.
The interest from Barcelona makes sense despite the fact that they have bolstered their attack with Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero. With Ousmane Dembele’s injury woes not easing up and Francisco Trincao joining Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan, there is an opening for a wide attacking option.
Not to mention, Barcelona have also lost the services of Lionel Messi, although they have targeted strikers since his departure, having been linked with Mario Mandzukic, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, among others lately. Sterling, though, could have been a more versatile and favourable option to sign.
However, Barcelona have been scuppered in pursuit of the 26-year-old forward after Manchester City failed to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now headed back to Manchester United. The inability to land the veteran Portuguese forward means Manchester City cannot afford to offload Sterling.
As a result, Barcelona have been forced to call off their pursuit of Sterling, as per Siempre Positivo. What now remains to be seen is if the Blaugrana turn their attention towards some other forward in the final hours of the summer transfer window or if they choose to keep Koeman’s attacking options limited to the current count.
