Three Clubs Interested In Raheem Sterling Amid Intense Contract Talks With Manchester City

With Gabriel Jesus' move to Arsenal looking all but done, attention in the media has turned to the pursuit of Raheem Sterling - who has 12 months left on his Manchester City contract.

The 27-year-old has been pivotal to the clubs success under Pep Guardiola, but has come to a major crossroads in his career.

After scoring 131 goals in Sky Blue, his future in Manchester has been called into question for perhaps the first time ever.

Recently joining the Premier League 100-club, the England international has rose to stardom at the Etihad Stadium and is assessing his long-term future very carefully.

A role model on and off the pitch, Sterling is also a crucial member of the England National Team dressing room and is expected to play a central role in their 2022 World Cup campaign this Winter in Qatar.

But to secure a regular role in the team, Sterling may have to look elsewhere at club level.

Raheem Sterling has scored 131 goals for Manchester City (Christian Bertrand / Alamy)

He was once the first name on Guardiola's team sheet, but this season, the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish have been preferred to him on the wing.

Sterling signed a three-year contract extension in 2018, meaning he now only has 12 months on his deal and has a big decision to make.

A recent report in the Telegraph has set out the current scenario for Sterling, who is enjoying the close season in Jamaica.

He hopes to sort his future out in the next two weeks, but there is no current frontrunner for his signature, with three top European clubs interested.

One who did hold an interest is German champions Bayern Munich, however, their recent purchase of Sadio Mané has quashed any of that particular talk.

Sterling also has admirers in Spain - most notably Barcelona and Real Madrid - with the latter looking to reinforce their squad after UEFA Champions League success.

Then, as expected, Chelsea are credited with an interest.

Raheem Sterling of Manchester City during the pre-game warmup. (Alamy)

Thomas Tuchel's side were rocked by an exclusive interview earlier last season by record signing Romelu Lukaku, who claimed his departure from Inter Milan was premature and admitted he was 'not happy' with the situation at Stamford Bridge.

The striker - despite issuing an apology - never really recovered from the incident and he has since been linked with a loan move back to Italy.

However, the report states that his potential departure is not connected to links with Sterling.

One important thing to also consider is that City have offered Sterling a new long-term contract and still view him as an important member of the squad.

The Premier League champions accept the players situation and will give him time to assess his next move before demanding a fee from interested parties.