Raheem Sterling tells Man City he wants Barca loan move
Raheem Sterling reportedly wants a loan move to Barcelona in January and has told the Manchester City hierarchy to sanction the move.
The player has fallen out of favour at the Etihad under manager Pep Guardiola, coming off the bench more often than not and scoring just twice this term.
Sterling has 18 months left on his current contract and has been challenged by Guardiola to find his best form and force his way back into the starting XI.
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But sources close to the club have told 90min that the 26-year-old has informed the club he wants to join Barcelona when the transfer market opens.
Xavi's Barcelona rebuild
Head coach Xavi has a shopping list of players he wants to help rebuild the struggling club who sit tenth in La Liga.
And the prospect of a loan deal for such a talented player will delight the Blaugrana who will need to beg, borrow or steal in the transfer market due to the club's poor finances.
A squad overhaul is needed with players like Philippe Coutinho likely to leave and others such as Sergio Aguero, Ansu Fati and Pedri out injured.
Sterling or Dembele?
Another man out injured is Ousmane Dembele who arrived at the Camp Nou in 2017 with much hype and a £121.5 million price tag.
Dembele has failed to live up to the anticipation that followed him from Borussia Dortmund and is constantly linked with a move away from Barcelona.
And Xavi this week made an example of the 24-year-old Frenchman after he turned up three minutes late to training.
Dembele in his position can be the best player in the world. He has to be a world-class player
- XaviThe new head coach put in ten rules at the club upon his arrival and one of these was players arriving 90 minutes before training was due to start.
Dembélé arrived at 8:33 am on Monday with training set to start at 10 am.
His current deal expires at the end of this season and despite his tardiness, his injuries and his form, Xavi recently spoke highly of the Dembele.
He recently said during a press conference: “Dembele in his position can be the best player in the world. He has to be a world-class player."
Will Barca move Dembele on?
Dembele and Sterling are similar players in similar positions and Barcelona may think it makes financial sense to move Dembele on to free up some funds and replace him with Sterling on loan in January.
The club are hoping that come summer 2022 they sit on a better financial footing and Xavi can properly begin his revolution.
