Raheem Sterling, who joined Manchester City from Liverpool in 2015 in a deal worth up to £49 million, is the subject of continued transfer talk, as the England international prepares to enter the final 12 months of his current deal at the Etihad Stadium.
The 27 year-old has made over 300 appearances and won 11 pieces of silverware since signing for the Sky Blues, with Raheem Sterling considered a key player for both club and country as the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar nears.
Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona have all been linked with the England international, after a largely underwhelming season led to the winger making just 32 starts for Manchester City - his lowest tally since his debut campaign.
Advert
Sterling still scored 13 Premier League goals however, and was directly involved in 26 goals across all competitions for Pep Guardiola’s side last season, as the Blues won their fourth Premier League title in five years.
Manchester City once again beat Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool to the Premier League trophy, with the Etihad club finishing just one point ahead of their North-West rivals courtesy of a dramatic 3-2 victory against Aston Villa on the final day of the season.
However Raheem Sterling, who moved from Merseyside to Manchester in 2015, reportedly enquired about the possibility of returning Liverpool this summer, as doubts remain over the 27 year-old's long-term future at the Etihad.
Advert
FootballTransfers has claimed that if Raheem Sterling were to leave Manchester City this summer, then the forward's first choice would have been a return to Liverpool,
Raheem Sterling’s enquiries regarding a possible move were knocked back, according to the aforementioned report, although the winger did try to push for a return to Anfield.
Sadio Mane recently completed a £35 million move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, while Jurgen Klopp has already added striker Darwin Nunez to his squad - for a club-record fee of £85 million.
Advert
Fellow Premier League rivals Chelsea, who are widely claimed to have agreed to loan Romelu Lukaku back to Inter Milan this summer, have shown the strongest interest in potentially signing Raheem Sterling, though the 27 year-old could still remain with the Premier League Champions.
For that to happen however, it is understood that Sterling would have to be given significant assurances from Manchester City and Pep Guardiola in regards to sufficient and consistent game time from next season.
There are obvious difficulties with this, especially given the planned increased game time for rising academy star Cole Palmer, as well as increased competition from Julian Alvarez - who is known to be able to play across the forward line.
Pep Guardiola is currently at risk of losing two forwards this summer, with Gabriel Jesus closing in on a move to Arsenal, where the Brazilian would be reunited with Mikel Arteta.
Advert
However, the long-term future of Raheem Sterling is expected to be resolved before Manchester City travel to the United States for pre-season next month.
As for the rest of City's first-team players, they are expected to return and report for pre-season duties from the second week of July.
At present, Manchester City's stars are all over the globe, enjoying a rare summer without a major tournament to content with, but will have match action immediately following their return.
City are due to face Club America and Bayern Munich during their pre-season preparations in the United States.
Featured Image Credit: PA Images / AlamyTopics: Manchester City, Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours, Liverpool, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours, Raheem Sterling, Premier League, Football, Transfers