After telling Liverpool that he won’t be taking part in the club’s pre-season tour, Raheem Sterling seems to be on the brink of a move away from the club.
The summer has been rife with speculation about Sterling’s future, after the England winger indicated towards the end of last season that his intention was to leave Anfield by rejecting a renewed contract worth an estimated £100,000 per week.
Manchester City have been Sterling’s keenest suitors, circling around the 20-year-old like vultures, wielding their financial power and also the offer of Champions League football to temp Sterling away from Merseyside.
Next season’s Premier League football odds could be heavily affected by the move if it goes through, with Liverpool potentially losing a key part of their attacking arsenal that manager Brendan Rodgers hopes will fire them back into the top four. Meanwhile, City would gain a player who could become one of their household names if he continues to develop.
TRANSFER CENTRE: Manchester City set to increase bid for Raheem Sterling to £50m. More here: http://t.co/M1QfW3vsD7 pic.twitter.com/tAsufGUX6y
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) July 8, 2015
Liverpool are thought to be holding out for £50 million from City, which some have alleged is too much money for a player of Sterling’s inexperience. But the Jamaican-born starlet has achieved no small amount in his short career so far.
Sterling is no stranger to large transfer fees. In 2010, at the age of just 15, he was signed to the Liverpool Academy from the Queens Park Rangers Academy for a fee of £600,000, with the payments increasing to £5 million, depending on first-team appearances.
Such a large fee for such a young player prompted questions about whether or not Sterling was a worthwhile investment, but he quickly began to silence the doubters, scoring five goals in the Liverpool Academy’s 9-0 FA Cup win over Southend in February 2011.
It wasn’t long before first-team action came along for Sterling, who was quickly identified as a firm favourite by new Reds boss Rodgers. His debut came in a 2-1 defeat against Wigan Athletic at Anfield in March 2012, but the following season under Rodgers was when Sterling would begin to shine.
That summer, he started the season brightly, featuring in a Europa League qualifier against Gomel, before netting his first senior-team goal in a friendly against Bayer Leverkusen. This whet the fans’ appetite for seeing more of Sterling in 2012/13, and they weren’t to be disappointed as he went on to feature in 36 of the club’s 54 competitive games that season, earning himself a call-up to the England Under-21s squad in the process.
In 2013/14, with Liverpool contesting for the Premier League title, Sterling played a key role in a side that featured Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge alongside him in a devastatingly quick and skilful front line. Sterling scored 10 goals and was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, and won Liverpool’s own Young Player of the Year award on his way to being called up to England’s World Cup squad.
His performance against Italy in the World Cup impressed the millions watching around the globe, and they saw more of what Sterling could do in his 52 appearances for Liverpool the following season. He added 11 goals to his tally for the club as well, and his talent is in little doubt. But, after his refusal to sign a new contract or take part in his current employers’ pre-season plans, there may be questions asked about whether his temperament makes him something of a liability.
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