Barcelona have reportedly begun negotiations to secure the services of 26-year-old Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Cadena SER, Barcelona director Mateu Alemany has travelled to England to open talks with Manchester City over the possibility of signing 26-year-old forward Raheem Sterling in the January transfer window.
Raheem Sterling joined Manchester City in a controversial move from Liverpool in July 2015. Since then, the English international has come leaps and bounds to become a regular feature for club and country. However, the last couple of seasons have been a struggle for the player, who has dropped in stature at the Etihad.
In the ongoing campaign, the 26-year-old has a paltry tally of four goals and two assists in 17 appearances across all competitions. However, despite inconsistent performances, Sterling remains a sought-after player in the transfer market, with Barcelona, in particular, keen on signing him from the Premier League champions.
Barcelona wanted to sign Sterling in the summer transfer window, but a move had failed to come to fruition. The interest has not waned since then, and recent reports have claimed that the Catalan giants wish to secure the services of the Manchester City forward in the January transfer window.
Although other sources have refuted those claims, there have also been suggestions that the Premier League champions are open to dealing with Barcelona to land Sterling. Nevertheless, Sterling is a key target for Barcelona, considering Ansu Fati is yet to regain full fitness while Memphis Depay has gone off the boil after a strong start to his stint at Camp Nou.
Now, Barcelona sporting director has reportedly made his way to England to initiate discussions with Manchester City over the possibility of signing Sterling. However, there have also been claims that Sterling is not the priority target for Barcelona, with Ferran Torres instead emerging as a key target.
Recent reports have claimed that the Spanish forward has reached an agreement to join Barcelona. However, if suggestions by Cadena SER are true, it will be interesting to see if negotiations begin over a transfer for Sterling, with the 26-year-old reportedly open to joining the Blaugrana.
