Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips reckons that Manchester City will look to retain the services of Raheem Sterling following extensive links with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Tottenham Hotspur prepare for 2021/22

Moving towards 2021/22, many Tottenham fans will be desperate for Nuno Espirito Santo to acquire the players necessary in order to challenge for Champions League qualification.

On the flip side, keeping hold of key assets will also be pivotal to the manager’s aspirations. Talisman Harry Kane has been heavily mooted with a switch to the Citizens, with Sterling suggested by reports as a makeweight in any prospective deal [talkSPORT].

The Latest: Phillips reckons Man City will look to retain Sterling

Those rumours prompted former England striker Phillips to give his verdict in a recent interview with Football Insider. The 47-year-old was quick to big up the capabilities of the former Liverpool winger, stating:

“Getting Sterling in who will probably be the player of the Euros?

“Will that change City’s mind? I certainly wouldn’t be letting him go. Everything changed.

“I know he didn’t perform to the best of his ability last season but players have those seasons.

“He’s not let it affect him. He will be the player of the tournament and I would keep him at Man City.

“He will go back to his club full of confidence as the man of the moment.

“He will be talked about all over Europe, the world. He could be Premier League player of the season next year.

“If that’s the case, if you can get Sterling coming in for Kane, I wouldn’t say it’s a no brainer but what a deal that could be.

“If I’m a Spurs supporter, that’s a huge boost.”

The Verdict: Sterling would be an outstanding signing for Spurs

Phillips correctly points out the 26-year-old’s sparking form with England at Euro 2020. In six fixtures for the Three Lions prior to tonight's final, Sterling has chipped in with four goal contributions, registering three goals and one assist [UEFA.com].

In 2020/21, despite not living up to the absolute pinnacle of his capabilities, the Kingston-born winger still registered 26 goal contributions in 49 appearances, with 14 goals and 12 assists [Transfermarkt]. Furthermore, Sterling illustrated his ability to trouble opposition defences regularly, achieving an average of 2.1 successful dribbles per match across the season [WhoScored]

Conceivably, he would certainly help to soften the blow for Tottenham of potentially losing Kane to the Premier League champions. However, Phillips has signified the likely reality that Manchester City will probably look to retain Sterling ahead of 2021/22 based on his form for England over the past month.

In other news, many Tottenham fans have erupted following this transfer update.