Real Madrid had the chance to sign Chelsea and Arsenal star in the summer, with Carlo Ancelotti ready to welcome the former City stars.
It has been confirmed in a major revelation made by Lopez de Vicente while writing for Diario AS that Madrid had received offers for players like Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus in the summer, but the club was unable to complete the transfer because there were no open spots for players from outside the EU.
Real Madrid has struggled with the dearth of open spots for players from outside the EU for years, and it has even hampered their transfer plans for the current campaign. Each Spanish side is limited to having three non-EU players on the roster under La Liga rules.
Militao, Vinicius, and Rodrygo are currently buying up these locations. Real Madrid had to turn down the chance to sign Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus when it presented itself.
Raheem Sterling wanted to leave City and pursue other opportunities at the time, so he was comfortably within Madrid’s reach. He was actually offered to Real Madrid, who considered taking him on but ultimately decided against it because of the aforementioned problem.
Gabriel Jesus was also about to leave City when they acquired Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. Jesus was presented to Madrid, much like Sterling was, and the Spanish club saw the Brazilian as a potential replacement for Karim Benzema. But Madrid was once again excluded from it due to a lack of non-EU slots.
Gabriel Jesus rejoined his previous mentor Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, while Sterling later signed with Chelsea in the summer.
It’s interesting to note that Sterling’s name has already been connected to Real Madrid. The England star praised the group back in February 2020 and said he is always up for a challenge.
He had previously stated, “I’m really happy [at City], but I also say that Madrid is a magnificent team.”
“When you see the white shirt, you instantly recognize everything the club stands for. Even so, I have to acknowledge that I have a fantastic deal with City that I must uphold.
But the club is wonderful. Madrid is a wonderful team in a long-established nation. incredible. I am a gamer who is constantly up for new challenges, he continued.
Sterling had no place in the Real Madrid team at the time because every position had already been filled. If he had come, there would have been fierce rivalry to play on the wings even this season.
