According to The Independent, Manchester United are interested in signing Manchester City star Raheem Sterling. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has previously made it clear that he wants to bring in a new right winger and club analysts have been monitoring Sterling for some time.

Solskjaer has also identified Jadon Sancho as his top transfer target in the summer. The Red Devils have been linked to the Borussia Dortmund ace for a while and David Ornstein reaffirmed that they are leading the race to sign the 20-year-old in the upcoming window.

Understandably, this latest transfer update could be bad news for Daniel James.

After arriving at the Etihad Stadium from Premier League rivals Liverpool for £49m back in 2015, Sterling has emerged as one of Europe's brightest talents, scoring 89 goals and creating 72 assists in total for the Citizens along with winning 56 England caps. Moreover, he is the club's second-highest goalscorer so far this season, just behind Sergio Aguero and ahead of the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne (BBC).

In comparison, James is yet to hit the same heights as his English counterpart. Furthermore, it is fair to say that the 22-year-old has struggled for consistency this season, as he has only scored three goals in the top flight. However, it is worth mentioning that he has provided the most assists out of all of his teammates in the Premier League (six).

The Welshman has registered four goals in total, taking 1.3 shots per game, averaging 0.5 key passes and successfully completing 1.3 dribbles on average in the Europa League (WhoScored).

Miguel Delaney reports that there is uncertainty surrounding Sterling's future at the Etihad if City's Champions League ban is upheld.

While it seems doubtful that Sterling will join United in the summer, if he becomes available, Ed Woodward could launch a bid for him. However, The Independent added that Real Madrid is the likely destination if the 25-year-old chooses to leave the Etihad. Zinedine Zidane is a known admirer of the speedster and previously admitted that "he's a very good player, no doubt about that".

Although it is far-fetched to assume the Liverpool academy graduate will make a shock move to Old Trafford, the fact that the club are looking for an attacking forward on the right flank suggests Solskjaer has lost confidence in the Welsh international.

Undoubtedly, if Sancho or Sterling end up at the Theatre of Dreams, James will probably spend a significant amount of time on the bench. Indeed, the Norwegian has given the winger plenty of chances to prove his value and he has largely failed to live up to expectations up until now.

United fans, do you think Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling would start ahead of Daniel James? Let us know by commenting below!