Barcelona are interested in Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling, according to reports in the Catalan media.
The England international has less than two years remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium and he is thought to be unsettled at the club.
However, fans on Twitter have questioned whether Barca would actually have the money to afford Sterling, considering their well-publicised financial problems:
And I’m going to marry Rihanna
— ∞ (@DeBruyneProp) October 1, 2021
Do they have €80 million?
— Wheezy F (@Wheezy_ef) October 1, 2021
The catalan journalist said 60-65 K …
— Adrià Fabregat (@Adrifabregat) October 1, 2021
with monopoly bank notes
— Elite (@EliteTier1) October 1, 2021
Are they going to pay through McDonald's Monopoly Money?
— Philip Williams (@PhilWilliams25) October 1, 2021
They couldn't afford his left boot!
— Paul Portlock-Smith (@Portlocks) October 1, 2021
70 mill minimum
— Charlie H-W (@CharlieHWood) October 1, 2021
With what money
— MH ⁷💙🏴 (@7Mcfcmax) October 1, 2021
As long as they have £80m that's fine but they don't so
— Jacob Elout-Armstrong (@Jacob4rmstrong) October 1, 2021
If Barcelona are interested, they would probably propose either a loan with an option to buy, or a swap deal involving one of their players, and neither proposal would be particularly attractive for City.
The Manchester club do have a decision to make on Sterling, considering the 26-year-old’s contract situation, but it seems very unlikely that he will end up at Barca.
Other teams, such as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain could have the funds, and while the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham have been mentioned as potential suitors, neither team could match Sterling’s ambition.