Raheem Sterling would reject a move to Serie A if AC Milan formalized their interest in the Manchester City attacker following Investcorp’s potential takeover.
This season, Raheem Sterling, 27-year-old has been a regular starter at the Etihad Stadium, scoring 14 goals and assisting seven times in 40 games.
The England international, whose contract with Pep Guardiola expires in 2023, has welcomed game time this season and is being considered for a move to the San Siro.
In what would be the first takeover of a top Italian team by Middle Eastern investors, Bahrain-based asset firm Investcorp has entered into exclusive talks to buy Serie A club AC Milan.
According to Reuters, a deal to buy the seven-time European champions from current owner Elliott Management Corporation is nearing completion, according to a source close to the talks.
According to the sources, the club might be valued at around 1 billion euros (£827 million) including debt.
Milan will be able to target more players from Europe’s elite teams, thanks to the increased financing, and Gazzetta Dello Sport reports that AC might lure Sterling.
However, there are no indications that the winger is interested in a move to Italy, and he has not received any offers.
Milan are also interested in recruiting Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio and Isco, as well as Sebastien Haller of Ajax and RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku.
They are also thought to be in early talks with Divock Origi of Liverpool and Lille defender Sven Botman of Lille.
Investcorp is a private equity, real estate, absolute return investments, infrastructure, credit management, and strategic capital firm that manages approximately $42 billion in assets.
When approached by Reuters, Investcorp and Elliott, which took over Milan in 2018, declined to comment.
‘AC Milan remains focused on enhancing its performance on the pitch and developing the club,’ said an AC Milan spokeswoman.
A second source familiar with the situation stated that Elliott and Investcorp were in talks about selling the company.
Milan has won the Italian top-flight championship 18 times, but not since 2011. The club has struggled to recapture its glory years under Silvio Berlusconi’s Fininvest group’s ownership.
