Liverpool attacker Raheem Sterling, 20, has established himself as a regular at Anfield over the last few years, and this season started in all but four of the Reds’ Premier League fixtures. However, relations between the England international and his club soured after he refused to enter into contract negotiations, before his agent Aidy Ward gave a stinging interview with the Evening Standard newspaper claiming that Sterling is “not signing for £700, £800, £900 thousand a week. He is not signing.” Seemingly pretty definitive stuff.
Raheem Sterling has one eye on Real Madrid. Can Liverpool keep him?
Raheem Sterling wants to leave Liverpool, but could find that a little harder than anticipated.
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There’s no doubt that Sterling is a very talented player, and has capitalized on the absence of his injury-prone teammate Daniel Sturridge to show his skill as a slippery center-forward. His seven league goals this campaign weren’t a particularly impressive return, though he showed flashes of wonderful dribbling ability and a good eye for the key pass. He remains too erratic and inconsistent to be described as world class, but some careful guidance and there’s no reason why he couldn’t achieve that status in the future.
Interested teams
Recent rumors have seen Real Madrid linked with a move for Sterling, and it may not just be because Los Merengues are linked with just about every player of quality on the planet. With Gareth Bale possibly set for a move to Manchester United, and Javier Hernández having already moved back to his parent club, they're likely to be in the market for new attacking options. Add that to the fact that new Madrid boss Rafael Benítez said that the club "admire" Sterling in his introductory press conference, and it's clear that they could be a major player in this transfer saga.
A destination closer to home could well be Manchester City, who were seen as the overwhelming favorite to sign Sterling after Ward's interview revealed Sterling's desire to leave. However, they're not quite as in need of attacking reinforcements as Madrid, especially with the signing of Wilfried Bony from Swansea back in January. It could well be that the potential departure of James Milner will open up a space for Sterling in attacking midfield, but City are unlikely to be desperate to sign Sterling.
Bayern Munich was another option for Sterling, with Pep Guardiola’s first-choice wide forwards, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry, both aging and suffering with long-term injuries. His attributes could be very appealing to boss Pep Guardiola, who may well see a future false nine in the technically skilled Sterling.
Recent reports
Manchester City are said to be in pole position to sign Sterling after Aidy Ward’s stunning interview. (Daily Mail, May 22)
A report from Germany suggests after a meeting with Sterling’s agent, Bayern have decided not to pursue the player. (Bild, May 30)
Liverpool would apparently be happy to swap Sterling for Arsenal duo Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott, plus some money. (ESPN FC, June 2)
Prediction
Raheem Sterling definitely wants to leave Merseyside, but he could find doing so a little harder than anticipated. He’s not yet been consistent enough to command the sort of fee Liverpool would want in order to sell their best player, and given that he’s still got a couple of years left on his contract, they’re not going to be held to ransom. A slightly humiliating climb-down could be in order for Sterling, who needs a good season to prove that he really does have what it takes to compete at the very top.
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