Manchester City INCREASE bid to £40m for wantaway Liverpool ace Raheem Sterling
MANCHESTER CITY have increased their bid for Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling to £35m, rising to £40m, as they seek to press ahead with a deal for the England winger.
Liverpool have not commented, but it is expected to be rejected, although it seems only a matter of time before Sterling now makes the move to The Etihad.
A first offer of £25m, plus £5m in add-ons, was rebuffed last week and City followed up yesterday. Liverpool have set their stall out for £50m though it remains to be seen whether that figure is set.
City are unwilling to go that high and claim Liverpool’s valuation is inflated for a player they were only prepared to offer a £100,000-a-week contract to.
That the Anfield club has a figure in mind at which it will sell represents a huge climb-down from their stance at the end of the season when manager Brendan Rodgers said Sterling “won’t be going anywhere this summer.”
GETTY
Raheem Sterling looks to be on his way to Manchester City
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Yet Sterling’s relationship with Liverpool has broken down and City will continue to chip away until they land one of the brightest young players in Europe.
The size of their bids indicates they are determined to secure the player as quickly as possible.
QPR, who sold Sterling as a 15-year-old in 2010 for an initial £500,000 rising to £5m, are entitled to 20 per cent of any future transfer profit.
Though Liverpool will still make a huge profit on the youngster, Sterling’s defection will still be a damaging departure and places the onus on the Anfield club to spend wisely.