Guardiola prepared to part ways with €100m Manchester City star as Haaland and Grealish eyed

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Guardiola prepared to part ways with €100m Manchester City star as Haaland and Grealish eyed

Raheem Sterling could be the latest Manchester City star to be given the boot, as Pep Guardiola has been tipped to go big on Aston Villa star Jack Grealish and Borussia Dortmund man Erling Haaland.

This caim comes from Football Insider, who suggest that the high-flying Villans star could become a part of a new look forward line at the Etihad, with the Citizens boss said to be a keen admirer.

“He [Grealish] could be a direct replacement for Sterling in the left-sided attacking role from where he has scored the majority of his 113 goals in 286 City matches,” Wayne Veysey wrote.

“Guardiola is said to want a team of pure footballers and Grealish is seen as a better fit for the total domination of the ball that the manager wants.

“By contrast, Sterling is more of a speed merchant who opens up defences with pace and quick changes of direction.”

While ‘speed merchant’ may be something of a limited encapsulation of the value the €100m (according to Transfermarkt) 26-year-old brings to a side, the potential attraction in bringing a player of Grealish’s calibre to Manchester would be understandable.

Sterling has, admittedly, been overlooked of late for Guardiola’s most important fixtures in the Champions League, though this shouldn’t be considered indicative of any desire to part ways with a player who has been an integral part of the City squad for six years.

The England international does, however, only have two years remaining on his contract, which could lead to some unwanted speculation should an extension not be agreed in the relatively near future.