Raheem Sterling’s departure from Manchester City has given rise to confusion among fans as to whether the club will sign a new player to replace him or give some academy talent the opportunity to prove themselves in top tier football. While there was excitement seeing Cole Palmer and James McAtee join the first team in their first training session ahead of the pre-season, there is still a growing expectation of the club to sign a replacement for Raheem Sterling.
A few names have been mentioned as possible signings that City could make to play Sterling’s role in the team including AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix and Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry. However, Manchester City have been handed a huge transfer boost for the German based winger.
Gnabry has one year left on his Bayern Munich contract and has recently declined the offer to extend the deal with the club. Furthermore, there have been rumours of a possible move for him to play in England again, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal named as probable destinations for the player.
Despite the rumours, Gnabry will not join either of the London clubs. Following his time at Arsenal from 2011 to 2016, Gnabry is unwilling to play for any other club in the English capital. This places Manchester City as frontrunners to land the player at the Etihad this summer if he does not extend his contract with the Bundesliga giants.
Gnabry’s blistering pace and productivity in the final third of the pitch would make an ideal replacement for Sterling in Pep Guardiola’s team. However, a move for Gnabry is not a priority for the English champions yet, as they look to sign Marc Cucurella fron Brighton and a defender to replace Nathan Ake if he joins Chelsea before the new season starts.