Sterling's Barça come-and-get-me plea? "I would love to play abroad"

Raheem Sterling has opened the door to a move abroad if he doesn't get more playing time at Manchester City. 

Sterling, 26, has lost his place in Pep Guardiola's side in recent months and the €100 million signing of Jack Grealish has seen him slip further down the pecking order. 

The England international has now sent a warning to the Premier League champions, saying he's ready to leave in search of regular football.

"If there was the opportunity to go somewhere else, I would be open to it," Sterling said.

"At this moment in time, football is the most important thing to me.

"I have always had something that maybe one day I would love to play abroad and see how I meet that challenge." 

Barcelona are among the clubs monitoring Sterling's situation and would be keen on the former Liverpool forward were he to become available. 

The Catalan club's financial problems could complicate any deal, though, and they would prefer a loan with a buy option if a January transfer became a possibility. 

Coach Ronald Koeman has spoken of the need to add more width and pace to his struggling attack after just one win in six games in all competitions. 

"I am not someone who complains," added Sterling, speaking at the FT Business of Sport US summit. 

"I have not tried to make it a bigger deal than it is. I am just raring to go, play football and score regularly."