Arsenal have been linked with a move for Raheem Sterling, who could leave Manchester City this summer
(Image credit: PA)
Arsenal transfer target Raheem Sterling is not interested in a move to the Emirates Stadium, according to reports.
The England international has been linked with a switch to the Gunners in recent months.
Sterling is not a guaranteed starter at Manchester City these days and he is thought to be considering his future.
The forward's contract at the Etihad Stadium expires in 2023 and there has been little progress in discussions over a new deal.
“If there was an opportunity to go somewhere else, I’d be open to it at this moment in time,” Sterling said in October, speaking at the Financial Times’ Business of Sport US Summit.
(Image credit: PA)
According to The Athletic, Sterling has put contract negotiations with City on hold until after England's Nations League matches in June.
The former Liverpool man has not ruled out the possibility of signing fresh terms with his current employers.
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But if he does seek pastures new either this summer or next, the report states he would not consider a move to Arsenal or Tottenham.
The two north London sides are said to be keeping tabs on Sterling, but the 27-year-old is not particularly keen on either.
Instead, he expects to join one of Europe's heavyweight clubs if he does decide to embark on a new challenge.
(Image credit: Getty)
In that aforementioned interview in October, Sterling revealed that he is keen to one day test himself outside the Premier League.
“I keep saying football is the most important thing to me, challenges that I’ve set myself from a young age and dreams, as well to be honest with you, dreams to play abroad," he added.
"As an English player all I know is the Premier League and I have always had something that maybe one day I’d love to play abroad and see how I would come up against that challenge.
“To be fair I should be learning a few different languages. I quite like the French accent and Spanish.”
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).
