Manchester City have identified Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry as a direct replacement for Raheem Sterling, should the latter leave the Premier League champions this summer, according to reports shared by City Xtra.

The Lowdown: Sterling linked with exit

The England international has been at the centre of strong links away from the Etihad Stadium, with a move to Chelsea heavily speculated.

With the World Cup at the end of the year approaching all the time, the 27-year-old has indicated his willingness to leave Manchester, with game-time crucial in the build-up to the tournament.

Having entered the last 12 months of his City contract, the attacker is expected to command a fee in the region of £45m.

The Latest: Gnabry to Man City?

As per reports shared by City Xtra, Gnabry will rise to the top of Pep Guardiola’s summer wish list, should Sterling complete his proposed move to Chelsea.

The Germany international has also entered the last 12 months of his current contract and is reportedly reluctant to sign a new deal keeping him at the Allianz Arena.

As a result, it has been suggested that Bayern would be willing to cash in on the 26-year-old for around £40m.

The Verdict: Great replacement

Replacing Sterling would not be an easy feat for City, given his haul of 131 goals for the club, but as far as replacements go, they won't get much better than Gnabry.

The German has been described as a ‘world class’ player by Rio Ferdinand and an ‘unbelievable finisher’ by Owen Hargreaves in the past (via Daily Mail).

When looking at the two wingers’ statistics, the comparisons are also remarkably similar. Compared with positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year, Sterling ranks in the 92nd percentile for non-penalty goals, whereas Gnabry comes in even higher in the 97th percentile.

Furthermore, the England international and Bayern Munich star both netted 17 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions last season

This helps to illustrate how good a replacement Gnabry would be for City if Sterling leaves the Etihad.