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With Raheem Sterling's contract negotiations currently at a standstill and his club performing well below expectations, talk of big European power house clubs hoping to poach the young player continues to increase. Spain's premier clubs are the destinations tossed around most casually, but according to the German tabloid Bild, another continental colossus is apparently ready to enter the fray for Sterling's signature: Bayern Munich.
If it's any consolation to nervous types in Liverpool's fan base, die Roten are only looking at Sterling as a fallback option should they fail to entice Marco Reus to move to Dortmund's bitter rivals. Having lured both Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski to Bavaria in the previous two seasons, Bayern are looking to make it an uneven three transfers from die Schwarzgelben.
Of course, every team on the planet — and possibly a few on other planets — is also looking to secure Reus' services, so although Bayern Munich might have an advantage over most of those teams, it's hardly a sure thing from their perspective. A backup plan is a must — nay, efficient, if you will — and a young player like Sterling could fit the bill.
The flow of players between Germany and England is a trickle at best, with most players moving from the continent to the Premier League rather than vice versa. Bayern's last signing from England was Germany's own Jerome Boateng, and their last English player was Owen Hargreaves, who entered their youth system direct from Canada before he became a household name playing for the Three Lions.
Of course, the usual "English players rarely go abroad" points apply here. While Bayern has certainly increased its profile in the English-speaking world in the last five years, Germany still feels like a hard sell to an English player who'd likely have offers from Spain put in front of him at the same time. Still, it's flattering that one of Europe's top clubs is viewing Sterling in a similar light to the player most Liverpool fans spent the summer salivating over, and re-emphasises the importance of nailing down that next contract with the winger.
