Manchester City have dominated so far this season and there's one surprise name who's been performing very well. 

Raheem Sterling has established himself as one of the Premier League's standout players so far and his form is a revelation. 

Just last summer, it was reported that he was close to leaving the Etihad and he had to fight for his future with Arsenal interested in taking him down to London. 

But he's been in sensational form for Pep Guardiola's unbeaten league leaders and fans have Sterling to thank for securing a few important points already in this campaign. 

He's scored late goals against Bournemouth, Huddersfield Town and Southampton, in two matches that were evenly poised at 1-1 heading towards the final whistle. 

Had Sterling not found the net in those games, City's lead at the top wouldn't be as big as eight points after 15 games.

His standout performances have been noted by the Manchester club's hierarchy and it's reported that they're ready to offer the 22-year-old a new deal. 

The forward has two years left on his £180,000-a-week contract, but he'd likely be offered a pay rise to stay at City. 

However, according to the Mirror, Sterling is going to put any contract talks on hold until next summer, which has put Real Madrid on high alert.

The Spanish club were heavily linked with the Englishman two years ago, but a move never materialised. 

And with Sterling showing signs that he's one of Europe's top talents, there's no reason Madrid wouldn't have an eye on him, especially as they may be looking to offload Gareth Bale next summer. 

The City man wants to avoid the distraction of negotiations in order to concentrate on securing Premier League success with his club, before heading into next year's World Cup in fine form.

Madrid might not see it this way though and are expected to keep a close eye on Sterling to see if they can tempt him away from England next summer.