5 reasons Real Madrid should move for Raheem Sterling

The transfer window in England may be closed, and there may not be that much time for European clubs to wrap up their business, but there are still a number of rumours flying around with regards to transfers.

The latest rumour has seen Raheem Sterling being linked with a move to Real Madrid, with the story going as far as to say that Real will send scouts to watch the young winger when England take on Spain in the next international break.

Given that the friendly between the two sides is not until September 8, this is not a move that will take place this summer, with January the next chance Real will have to make a move for Sterling.

Even if they were to bid for the Englishman, it is unlikely Manchester City would accept the bid, however big it was, because they would be unable to replace Sterling due to the transfer window in England is closed.

This isn’t the first time Sterling has been linked with a move to the Bernabeu this summer. There were rumours early on in the window that Sterling was stalling on signing a new deal at City, and Real was looking to take advantage by bringing the 23-year-old to the club.

Here are five reasons why Real should bring Sterling to the club.

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#1 He’s come on leaps and bounds under Pep Guardiola

Guardiola has done an excellent job with Sterling

A few years ago, Sterling playing for Real Madrid looked almost impossible. After making a £50 million move to Manchester City from Liverpool in 2015, he had a disappointing first season at the Etihad.

He scored just six goals in the Premier League, providing two assists. He made a slight improvement in his second season, his first under Guardiola, netting seven goals, with six assists also to his name.

The real improvement came last season when he scored a career-best 18 league goals, as well as 11 assists. It wasn’t just the figures that showed Sterling’s improvement.

He made more intelligent runs into attacking areas and took up much better positions. He is a much better player now than he was a couple of years ago, and he is at the sort of level that is good enough to play for Real Madrid.

#2 He may be available on the cheap

Sterling is yet to sign a new contract at City

In the current climate, a player of Sterling’s quality, who is just 23 years old, would cost an awful lot of money. However, in this instance, this may not be the case.

Because talks have broken down between Sterling and Manchester City regarding a new contract, as things stand, he will be free to leave the club for nothing in less than two years’ time.

Man City may not be prepared to let this happen, so may wish to cash in on Sterling at some point over the next 18 months, in the knowledge that they will be able to bring in a replacement with the money they sell him for.

Real Madrid does have money to spend, given the money from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo, and the fact they bring in millions of pounds every year from commercial deals.

#3 He is versatile in attacking areas

Sterling has proved to be a real threat at Manchester City

What Real have always had over the past few years is a pretty fluid front three. Whether it be Cristiano Ronaldo, Isco, Gareth Bale or Karim Benzema, they have all had the ability to play anywhere across the front three, and have regularly played in multiple positions throughout the course of a single game.

Therefore, it is important that when they sign an attacking player, he is accomplished in all three roles across the front three.

Sterling is one of the few players who can do this. He is most comfortable on either flank, with his ability to beat a man and get to the touchline.

He may not be as good down the middle as some of the players already at Real, but he hasn’t had too many opportunities to play there yet in his career, and on paper, he has all the attributes to do a good job there.

#4 He may thrive under pressure

Sterling struggled when he first moved to City

Throughout his career, and even his whole life, Sterling has had to prove people wrong. When he made the move to Manchester City in 2015, there was a lot of criticism, with many people saying he wasn’t worth the £50 million fee.

Although this seemed to weigh him down in the early stages of his career at City, he has proved himself over the last year and has shown that he is one of the top attacking players in England.

He has matured as well in recent years, so has learned to shut out the negative press that he has constantly received from the media, most of it incredibly harsh. He will want to prove to everyone that he is capable of playing at the highest level, and Real Madrid is certainly at the highest level.

He is certainly someone capable of making the step up, even with the pressure that will undoubtedly be piled on him if he were to move to Real.

#5 He has pace to burn

If there is one attribute that scares defenders all across the world, it’s pace. There is no defender in the world who wants to come against someone with the pace of someone like Sterling because it is so hard to deal with.

It may seem simple, but if anything, that is the beauty of it.

Sterling has pace in abundance, and it really fits in with this Real Madrid side. Over the past couple of years, they have almost made themselves into a counter-attacking side, with the likes of Ronaldo and Bale driving forward at speed.

Obviously, that threat has lessened slightly with the sale of Ronaldo to Juventus, and there is one less weapon in their armoury. Sterling would restore that threat, as we have seen countless times at City how good he is in counter-attacking situations.