Real Madrid hatch plan to beat Barcelona to the €80m signing of Manchester City star

Real Madrid are reportedly interested in Raheem Sterling and could launch a move for the the Manchester City forward.

The England forward has been with City since 2015, when he moved from Liverpool, and has won three Premier League titles with the club.

However, the 26-year-old has been struggling with his form and fierce competition from attacking stars including Phil Foden and club record signing Jack Grealish.

Sterling, in fact, even admitted that he would be open to a switch should an opportunity present itself. And, Barcelona, according to SPORT, have made his signing a top priority for the next year.

The Catalans are exploring the possibility of taking the Englishman on loan in the January transfer window with an option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season.

However, as per the latest updates from Fichajes, they could face some major obstacles in pursuit of the Manchester City star, with Real Madrid entering the fray.

The report states that the Cityzens have placed a price tag of €80million on the England international – a figure that might prove out of reach for the Blaugrana.

This is not the first time that Sterling has emerged on Los Blancos’ radar, having also been linked with them in the summer for a brief period.

Barcelona is an obvious fit, but it’s difficult to see how any transfer materialises over there with the amount of financial dumb foolery that’s going on there.

It remains to be seen if City are ready to send the 26-year-old attacker out on loan this January or if the Premier League champions demand a permanent transfer instead.