Raheem Sterling - Done - See main forum

[Hungarian blue]

I'm a bit undecided on him still, but for a fee about 25-30m he would be quite a risk worth it really.

 

[blue_sonic176]

Tolmie did say today that the aforementioned £50m bid was for Sterling, however, I imagine with such a public leak of his intentions that the club will be pulling the string back on that carrot a tad.

I sure hope so but then this is City we're talking about. Only we would pay £50 million for a player who is practically standing outside Anfield with his suitcase packed.

Problem is he's only on £35K per week so not costing them the earth they can easily keep him, If city really do want him we will have to cough up 45m I reckon.

But they can't really keep him can they? His value is only going down with his contract winding down. The most they can get for Sterling will be this summer so they will have to come to the negotiating table and take a fair offer. Granted, once bidding starts any reasonable price will be out the window. Hope Txiki comes out on top in this one. Would be an exciting signing.

 

[SomeLurkerGuy]

why pay 50m when no other club will?

Because he's worth £50m to us. Not every club necessarily needs to sign top quality youth/pace/homegrown players/all of the above as much as we do. Unfortunately we do and Sterling just happens to check every box.

I would happily pay the money.

 

[BlueDeadHead]

From RAWK
"Sell him for 50m and hopefully he rips his hamstring and loses his only top attribute."

We would be saying the same thing if one of our top academy products was being poached. It sucks to be a selling club.

 

[BlueDeadHead]

Oh my fucking days. What world do some of these twats live in?

I hope the top clubs get together and agree collectively to ignore him.

Ok that was fucking stupid. I take back my previous post.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

This signing would be huge for City. We desperately need some homegrown players that are actually good enough to get in the team. No more Scott Sonclair's. Sterling will develop into England's biggest star, I'm sure of that. To have him here would be fantastic. And if we are somehow able to add Pogba and De Bruyne too, it should be an exciting season next year, with pace and directness!!

 

[RandomJ]

why pay 50m when no other club will?

Because he's worth £50m to us. Not every club necessarily needs to sign top quality youth/pace/homegrown players/all of the above as much as we do. Unfortunately we do and Sterling just happens to check every box.

I would happily pay the money.

Go on then get your wallet out.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

From RAWK
"Sell him for 50m and hopefully he rips his hamstring and loses his only top attribute."

We would be saying the same thing if one of our top academy products was being poached. It sucks to be a selling club.

I don't think we would. We've sold players in the past (SWP) and I don't remember there being a collective smear campaign against their characters, starting with the club's hierarchy. Jamie Carragher's comments were laughable and the fans are just taking their lead from the large number of bitters in/from the club itself.

 

[Larry Stranger]

If we want Sterling at £35mil. and Liverpool want Dzeko and is rated at £25. just swap and give them £10mil. Shouldn't have to be so difficult.

 

[TCIB]

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32789389" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32789389</a>

Raheem Sterling: Liverpool player 'to tell club he wants to leave'

Raheem Sterling is expected to tell Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers he wants to leave Anfield this summer.

The England forward has already turned down a new £100,000-a-week contract, and denied being a "money-grabber" in a BBC Sport interview last month.

Sterling will meet Reds chief executive Ian Ayre and Rodgers on Friday, when he is set to tell them he wants to go.

The club have declined to comment but it is understood they still want the 20-year-old, whose deal ends in 2017.

Should he be made available, Manchester City remain the frontrunners for his signature but Arsenal and a number of leading European clubs have also expressed an interest.

While Liverpool insist they will not sell for any price this summer, their resolve may be tested by an offer in the region of £35m.

BBC Sport has learned Sterling raised the subject of his future with Rodgers before the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on 10 May.

Sterling - whose current contract is worth £35,000 a week - said in an interview on 1 April that he "talks about winning trophies" rather than money.

Former Reds defender and BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson said at the time that Sterling had put himself "under pressure" with his comments.

Liverpool's last piece of silverware came in 2012, when they won the League Cup, and they have missed out on Champions League qualification for next season.

Rodgers has previously said: "Liverpool are one of the superpowers of football and if the owners don't want to sell, they don't have to."

Speaking on Friday, captain Steven Gerrard told Sterling to stay and play for a coach who "believes in him".

"I think there is no-one better for him than Brendan Rodgers," said Gerrard, who will join MLS side LA Galaxy this summer after 17 years at Anfield.

"The danger for younger players is they want it all too soon and go to another club and just become a number."
Reaction

Former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton: "Supporters are coming to the end of their tether with Raheem, he still hasn't learnt.

"The club could take a real stance, but it's not advisable. The best thing is to let him go and invest the £40m-£50m in players that want to come to the club."

Ex-Everton midfielder Kevin Kilbane on BBC Radio 5 live: "It shows the changing face of football, it is very much manufactured. I think it lacks a lot of class.

"If Sterling does not want to stay at Liverpool, fair enough, there may be underlying reasons why he does not want to stay. But surely the negotiations, especially with a lad who has a lot to prove and a long way to go in the game, can be done behind closed doors, in a way that best suits everyone."

Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher said Sterling is "not some flash young kid", but added the thought of him "taking on" Liverpool over contract negotiations annoyed him "to the pit of my stomach".

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "Raheem Sterling will obviously move on at some stage, he doesn't want to be at the club and this looks like a tactic to force the club's hand. Liverpool had a chance to win a trophy this season in the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa - where was Sterling? Trophies don't get handed out, you've got to earn them. You've got to deliver in big games and he hasn't done that yet."

Ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville added: "Liverpool haven't handled contracts well at all in the past 18 months."