Presenter Matt Frohlich believes that there is no chance Manchester City could use Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling as part of a deal for Tottenham and England captain Harry Kane.
It was reported over the weekend by The Athletic that numerous Manchester City players had become dissatisfied with their roles at the club, with Sterling being one of those mentioned. With the departure of the club’s all-time top goalscorer Sergio Aguero, it appears the speculation linking Pep Guardiola’s side with one of Europe’s top strikers has intensified.
One name that refuses to go away is Harry Kane, as he has recently said he will seek a chat with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy over his future.
But speaking on One Football’s round-up of the latest gossip, Frohlich suggests any deal to bring the England ace to the Etihad will not involve Sterling or Jesus, insisting the pair wouldn’t go to a club who have only qualified for the Europa Conference League.
“There have been a few rumours that they may not have all of the money to pay for Kane outright, with apparently the club wanting around £150m for the England captain.
“So, they’re willing to throw a few players in there and two of those names are Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling, and I cannot see this happening.
“The Kane to Manchester City thing, maybe that will happen. As for Sterling and Jesus going in the other direction… that’s definitely a no-go. I’m not entirely sure that those two will be willing to swap the Champions League, even if they’re on the bench sometimes for Manchester City, to play in the [Europa] Conference League.”
TIF Thoughts…
Similar to the thoughts of Frohlich, we fail to see a scenario where Jesus and Sterling would be happy to leave Manchester City for Tottenham. Sterling enjoyed another successful season under Guardiola, contributing to 26 goals in 49 games. Although these numbers aren’t as impressive as what he’s boasted in previous seasons, it still shows he has the quality to perform at the top of English football.
Jesus, who is valued at £54 million (via Transfermarkt) scored nine goals and assisted four in the Premier League for Guardiola’s side in 2020/21. However, if Jesus didn’t want to go in the opposite direction to Kane, it would be worth asking whether he would want to stay at City and play second-fiddle. At the age of 24, it’s maybe time Jesus sought after a move where he is the main man.