€70m Chelsea Target Deal Is Done, Liverpool To COMPLETE Deal Of The Summer

Try talking to any Liverpool fan about Raheem Sterling these days. You will receive an angry glare, a noncommittal jerk of the head, a few choice words and then a gesture of indifference. They simply don’t care anymore. It is a far cry from last summer when the youngster was being hyped as the next big thing for Liverpool and England. Luis Suarez had departed the Reds for Barcelona , and Sterling was expected to fill the boots of the Uruguayan magician and preserve the devastating ‘SAS’ partnership along with Sturridge.

Many things have changed in the last 12 months. Liverpool are no longer the club that went so despairingly close to the title the season before the last. Rodgers is no longer the Football League Manager of the year and is in fact, the favourite for the sack. Most importantly, something has broken between Sterling and Liverpool.

The club that gave the promising youngster a platform to showcase his abilities to the world and help him develop into one of Europe’s most coveted footballers seemingly holds no place in the player’s heart. Sterling has made it clear through his agent that he will not sign a new deal with Liverpool and is reportedly angling for a move away from the club. Liverpool, for their part, claim that they have offered the 20-year-old an astonishing £100,000 per week contract and are not ready to go any further. This standoff has resulted in one of the longest running transfer sagas of this window, with Manchester City mooted as the next destination for the pacy winger.

Liverpool value the want-away winger at £50 million and have already rejected two bids from the Etihad reportedly worth £25 million and £35 million. A third bid by City for the player is believed to be in the pipeline.

The Daily Star has now reported that the two clubs have agreed a €70 million (£50 million) fee for the player and the move is expected to be announced over the weekend. Paris Saint-Germain , Arsenal and Chelsea had also initially held an interest in the player. However, it is Manchester City who have won the race for his services.

Sterling has received widespread criticism from all circles for his treatment of the Merseyside club. His apparent refusal to go on the pre season tour with the club and missing training for the last two days citing an illness have been cited as the reasons that finally convinced Rodgers that there is nothing that he can do to secure Sterling’s stay .

This whole episode has resulted in Sterling getting the move he desperately wanted, but also garnering a reputation as a mercenary.