By Michel Durant
After a week of rumours, speculations and constant back and forth in talks with Al Sadd, Barcelona finally made the official announcement confirming the appointment of Xavi as the new first-team manager.
The 41-year-old has signed a contract with the Catalans till the summer of 2024 and will be presented to the media on Monday, November 8. With the club legend’s return now sorted, Barca will turn their focus towards formulating plans for the upcoming transfer window.
One of the names that the Blaugrana have been constantly linked with ahead of the January window is Raheem Sterling of Manchester City. The 26-year-old has fallen out of favour under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium and has been starved of game-time as a result.
The England winger has admitted to being open to a new challenge in the winter window should an opportunity present itself. And Barcelona are willing to provide him with an escape route.
According to El Nacional, newly-appointed Barcelona boss Xavi is insistent on having natural wingers in his roster for his 4-3-3 formation to yield the desired results. The former Al Sadd boss values pace and directness out wide, along with the winger’s ability to execute one-touch link-up play, at which Sterling excels.
As a result, Barca have intensified contacts to try and clinch the signing of the former Liverpool star, whose contract with the Premier League champions expires in 2023. Manchester City were believed to be planning to offload Sterling in the summer but will consider letting him leave in January should a promising proposal arrive.
While valuing the 26-year-old’s abilities, Guardiola does not see him as essential to his plans. And, he is willing to sanction an exit if City plan to invest in a new forward in January, preferably a central striker. Considering his equation with Barcelona and Manchester City’s relations with the club, the Catalan giants find themselves in a solid position.
However, finances become an issue as the La Liga bigwigs cannot afford the transfer fee that a player like Sterling would command. Hence, they will look to engineer a loan deal with an obligation to purchase at the end of the season, which the Citizens would consider.
But Barcelona will need to beware of the interest in Sterling from elsewhere, with Juventus keeping tabs on him along with Newcastle United and his former club, Liverpool.
