Raheem Sterling might be one of the most coveted young footballers in the world right now, blessed with electric pace, his rise in the Liverpool team last season showed how important a player he had become for the team. The SAS partnership (Suarez and Sturridge) became SASAS (Suarez and Sturridge and Sterling), last season was his best season where he not only cemented a starting place for Liverpool but even broke into the England national team, all before he became 20 years old.
Following his 20th birthday, Liverpool are keen to have him at the club for much longer, Sterling is currently on £30,000 a week with other bonuses based on performances. Liverpool have apparently offered the English winger an improved contract of £70,000 per week with bonuses based on progress into other rounds of major competitions, however a source close to the negotiations states that the player and the club are nowhere near any sort of agreement and contract talks have been stalled.
Sterling is set to face the old enemy, Manchester United on Sunday where he plays his 100th game for Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers has always stated that Raheem leaving Liverpool will not happen and Liverpool do need him with Daniel Sturridge injured, Mario Balotelli not living up to expectations and Rickie Lambert still finding his feet, the onus on creativity and attacking intent has been thrust onto the shoulders of Sterling. Sterling for his part has picked up his performance in the last two-three weeks, prior to that he did have a dip in form but thankfully for Liverpool he is back.
His versatility in playing multiple positions is something that Rodgers had used very well in the past. Last season he started off in the wing before being shifted into the hole behind Suarez and Sturridge which helped the youngster net 10 goals last season and has netted 3 this season. This season against Basel, Rodgers decided to play him as a striker in the second half during their exit from the Champions League.
Rodgers would be keen to tie down the youngster, a number of clubs have been monitoring his situation, Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG have all been interested in the 20 year old and could not only break the bank but sign up the youngster with a much more lucrative contract. Liverpool fans will be hoping that this contract situation is wrapped up quickly as they wouldn’t want to lose one of their best players who could only get better with time. Raheem was signed from QPR in 2010 by Rafa Benitez for an initial amount of ҄£600,000. Money well spent for now and hopefully for the future of Liverpool as well.
Picture courtesy: Skysports & The Express