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The last few years have been a rollercoaster ride for Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling. The 2019-20 season saw the Englishman, who was 25 at the time, score 20 league goals for the first time in his career. He finished the campaign with 30 goals across competitions and was expected to cement his place as one of the best players in the world.
Two years later, 27-year-old Sterling has gone off the boil. He finished the 2020-21 season with 14 goals and 12 assists in 49 games and was reportedly being shipped by the Citizens. However, a resurgent showing at Euro 2020, where he netted three goals and provided an assist during England's run to the final, convinced Pep Guardiola to retain the forward.
Has Raheem Sterling's time at Manchester City run out?
Despite the positive summer performances, 2021-22 has not been much better for Raheem Sterling. The Englishman has 13 goals and four assists in 34 games, of which he has started 23. He is the second-longest tenured player in the Citizens' current squad, with 326 games (127 goals and 91 assists) under his belt.
Manchester City are expected to sign a striker this summer, while fans are calling for £100million man Jack Grealish to be given an extended run on the left. According to Transfermarkt, Sterling's value has halved since 2019, going from nearly £150million to just over £75million.
The Englishman was signed from Liverpool for nearly £58million in 2015. Signs suggest that if Manchester City are to make a profit on the wideman, they will have to sell him within the next couple of windows.
On that note, here's a look at five players who could replace the England international at Manchester City:
#5 Raphinha (Leeds United)
Leeds United's Brazilian winger Raphinha has been the only bright spot in a disastrous season for the Whites. The 25-year-old has nine goals and three assists in 28 games this campaign and is expected to depart the club even if Leeds somehow avoid relegation.
Signed for over £16.5 million from Rennais in 2020, Transfermarkt now values the Brazilian international at £36 million. West Ham United were reportedly interested in the winger in the January window, but he is expected to generate significant interest from around the league this summer.
Like Sterling, Raphinha is excellent with the ball at his feet but, unlike the Englishman, has displayed better crossing and delivery from out wide. He is also versatile and capable of playing on either flank (75 of 220 professional games on the left, 105 on the right), which is something Guardiola values.
#4 Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Florian Wirtz's recently suffered a ruptured ACL, which means he is unlikely to be on the move any time soon as he embarks on a brutal nine-month recovery. The 18-year-old, though, is arguably the most exciting teenage talent in world football right now.
The German midfielder has 19 goals and 22 assists to his name in 78 games for Bayer Leverkusen, of which 10 strikes and 14 assists have come this campaign. Capped four times by the national team, Wirtz is terrific with the ball at his feet and averages over two successful dribbles per game in the Bundesliga.
Raheem Sterling isn't your traditional touchline-hugging winger and enjoys driving into the box and getting into goalscoring positions. Similarly, Wirtz is best used as a free-roaming attacking midfielder who likes to drift in from out wide.
Valued at £63 million, Wirtz will not come cheap. There are also questions about whether the Germany international is ready to face the rigors of the Premier League. His recent injury will not make things any easier either.
#3 Antony (Ajax)
Ajax's 22-year-old winger is currently the most valuable player in the Dutch Eredivisie (£31.50 million as per Transfermarkt). The Brazilian star was brought to European shores by the Dutch giants last year from Sao Paulo for €15.75 million.
In the past two seasons, Antony has caught the eye with his pace and trickery as well as his ability to create chances for teammates or find the back of the net himself. He has 21 goals and 20 assists in 77 games for the Dutch giants so far and has also played seven times for Brazil.
Although he prefers to operate on the right, Manchester City's versatile set-up under Pep Guardiola could help him add another layer to his game. With Antony's best years ahead of him, this appears to be a low-risk, high-reward option considering his relatively low price tag.
#2 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
Harry Kane recently offered a convincing reminder of why Manchester City were willing to shell out over £125 million for him last summer. The Tottenham Hotspur superstar netted twice, including a dramatic late winner, to sink Manchester City in a 3-2 result when the two sides met in the league last month.
Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Guardiola has often opted to play without a traditional striker. As a result, Manchester City have usually used the likes of Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Ferran Torres and Gabriel Jesus as a 'false nine'.
But for all their attacking riches, City do not blow teams away by enormous margins as they used to. As the recent 0-0 league draw against Crystal Palace on March 14 showed, Guardiola's side do lack a cutting edge at times. Hence, it is highly likely that Manchester City will replace Raheem Sterling with a striker rather than another winger.
Harry Kane's resume does not require any introduction. The England captain has 242 goals in 375 games for Spurs, and has finished as the Premier League's top scorer thrice in his career.
He has scored over 20 goals in five different league seasons, including 30 in 2017-18. Kane remarkably finished as the top assist-provider in the league last season, recording 14 assists to win the playmaker award, along with the Golden Boot (23 goals). He is also on course to become England's all-time record scorer, and currently has 48 goals in 67 games, just five fewer than first-placed Wayne Rooney.
Spurs currently face an uphill battle to qualify for next season's Champions League (currently eighth with 45 points, six behind Arsenal in fourth). If the London side fail to finish in the top-four, it would not be a surprise to see Kane finally complete his long-awaited move to Manchester City.
#1 Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
Last week, reports from Spain and Germany claimed Manchester City had agreed terms with Borussia Dortmund's superstar striker Erling Haaland. The 21-year-old Norwegian is right up there with Kylian Mbappe as the most in-demand player in world football right now.
The striker, whose father Alf-Inge Haland played for Manchester City, has endured an injury-hit season so far, but still has 23 goals from 21 games in 2021-22. After scoring 29 times in 27 games for RB Salzburg, Haaland moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2020 for €20 million.
He has scored 80 goals and provided 21 assists in 80 games for BVB. Earlier this season, Haaland's agent Mino Raiola suggested the striker could be on the move at the end of the campaign. The Norwegian reportedly has a release clause of £64million, which would be an absolute bargain considering his market value is currently around £135 million.
