It’s a link that came out of nowhere and has gained pace remarkably quickly, but Raheem Sterling’s transfer to Manchester United looks like a concrete possibility all of a sudden.
Chelsea have reportedly floated the idea of a swap deal where Manchester United and the Blues exchange exiled wingers.
If the move to Juventus doesn’t come through, then sending Jadon Sancho to Chelsea might be the only way to draw curtains on his Old Trafford career.
The Chelsea man reportedly has a keen admirer at Manchester United in Dan Ashworth, who is leading the talks with the London rivals.
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Sterling would then move the opposite way and if and when that move happens, Manchester United will create English football history.
Raheem Sterling transfer will be historic
There are a lot of reservations about Sterling’s potential move to United because of a number of reasons, footballing and non-footballing.
Firstly, he is five years older than Sancho and earns more than the United winger, two issues that go directly against Ineos’ ethos this window.
Secondly, he will potentially be a backup at United to the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, and even Amad at this point.
For a player whose representation releases statements when left out of matchday squads, Sancho’s silence after being subjected to the same doesn’t look so bad.
Of course, another elephant in the room as to why Sterling’s transfer is being opposed is because of his playing career history.
Sterling came through the Liverpool academy, was a key part of their title charge in the 2013-14 season, and left in acrimonious circumstances to join another fierce rival, Manchester City, where he won four league titles.
If Sterling completes Manchester United transfer, he will become the first player in English football history to play for Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United, not even mentioning Chelsea with whom United have a competitive rivalry.
Trailblazer of the wrong kind
It is fairly common in, say, Italian football, for a player to play for clubs at the top end of the table who are rivals.
There are numerous players in history who have played for Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan, with former Man United player Zlatan Ibrahimovic one example.
That rarely happens in English, or Spanish football, where the boundaries between the fierce rivals are almost a sacred line that is never crossed.
Even when it is, those players go down in history as borderline traitors. A pig’s head thrown at Luis Figo at Barcelona after he moved to Real Madrid is an iconic image in football history.
Carlos Tevez probably still can’t walk near Old Trafford today after he left for Manchester City near the start of their new ownership era.
Raheem Sterling is open to joining Manchester United but the problem is if the fans are open to the idea of him signing.
Not all history created is of the right kind, just ask managers post-Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United!
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