Arsenal are reportedly ready to step up their pursuit of Raheem Sterling and are willing to offer up to three players in exchange for the Manchester City star.
According to a report from Spanish publication Fichajes, Arsenal are intent on securing the signing of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City and are willing to trade three players as part of a deal for the England international.
Sterling has been with Manchester City since 2015, when he arrived from Liverpool and has been integral to the success that they achieved over the past half-a-decade under Pep Guardiola. During this time, he has also grown into a regular for the England national team and was key to the Three Lions’ run to the finals of the UEFA Euro 2020 earlier this year.
However, Sterling has found his importance within the City setup reduce quite drastically in recent months. The arrival of Jack Grealish has served as a further blow to his game-time, leading to speculations of an exit from the Etihad Stadium as early as January. Barcelona have been linked heavily with a move for the 26-year-old, but Arsenal, too, have shown an interest in him.
The Gunners are said to be tracking the ex-Liverpool attacker’s situation closely as they mull over a possible swoop for him in the upcoming transfer window. Having allowed Willian to leave during the summer, Arsenal did not sign any wide players to fill the slot, although they have enough options as is.
Indeed, Mikel Arteta can call upon Nicolas Pepe, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli while both Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard can play out wide if needed. However, it has recently been reported that Martinelli might be considering his future at the Emirates due to a lack of game-time. With Pepe also struggling to perform consistently, another wide forward can be a good signing for the north Londoners.
Sterling, to that end, would make a fine addition. And, in order to make the deal happen, Arsenal are now said to be willing to offer up to three players as part of the deal to Manchester City so as to lower his asking price.
The three players that are being considered to be used in the player plus cash deal are the aforementioned Martinelli, along with veteran striker Alexandre Lacazette, whose contract runs out at the end of the season and defender William Saliba, who is currently away on loan in Ligue 1 and has never found favour under Arteta.
Despite Arsenal’s strong interest, a move is unlikely to happen considering that they will not be able to offer Sterling a chance to play in Europe. Furthermore, the 26-year-old is believed to be keen on signing for Barcelona in January. So, despite the potential offer of sending three players the other way, Arsenal are likely to face defeat in their pursuit of the England international.
