Sterling eager to play abroad but won't leave Man City for the Bundesliga

Raheem Sterling admits that a spell outside of England forms part of his future plans, but the Manchester City winger is not looking to head to Germany as he wants to go somewhere “warm”.

The 24-year-old has spent his entire professional career to date in the Premier League.

Liverpool lured him away from Queens Park Rangers when still in his teens and presented him with the grandest of stages on which to make a senior impact.

Sterling’s efforts with the Reds earned him a £44 million ($56m) move to City in the summer of 2015 and he has gone on to claim two title successes and domestic cup triumphs with the Blues.

Fresh terms penned in November 2018 have him under contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2023, but there is a chance that he will leave English shores at some stage.

Quizzed by British GQ on whether he can see himself playing aboard, Sterling said: “Looking at it now it’s like, Manchester, I love it. I love it here.

“This is one of the best clubs in the world and I’m here for the long haul. But you just don’t know what happens in the future.

“I’m still young and, like I say, I am loving every minute.

“Ever since I was a kid, 100 per cent it’s always been a dream of mine to play abroad somewhere. It would be nice one day to finish training and go home and sit in your garden and eat some dinner.”

Sterling added that he will be looking to head somewhere warm if the day ever comes to leave City, saying: “I would need to see where it’s minimum 17C or 18C constantly.”

It was put to him that Spain would be a logical option, with Germany seemingly ruled out.

Pressed on whether the Bundesliga could be an option, the Jamaica-born winger said: “Not really – the language barrier.

“It sounds very difficult. Spanish sounds like... ‘Hola! Raheem!’ I feel that one I can definitely catch on.

“I hear Leroy [Sane] and Ilkay [Gundogan] talking and sometimes I think they’re having me on. I’m like, ‘You lot are not speaking to each other’. That’s not a language I could do.” 

A change of scenery for Sterling is not going to happen any time soon, as he is preparing to chase down more major honours with City in 2019-20, but interest from the likes of Real Madrid has been mooted in the past and a transfer door may swing open further down the line.

Full interview in August’s British GQ, available on newsstands and digital download on Friday.