Guardian article
Manchester United have made a sensational attempt to capitalise on Raheem Sterling’s contract stand-off with Liverpool by registering their interest in the wantaway England international.
Despite completing the £25m transfer of the PSV Eindhoven winger Memphis Depay this week, and the acceptance that Liverpool are highly unlikely to sell a key player to their fierce north-west rivals, United have inquired about Sterling’s availability in anticipation of him agitating for a move from Anfield this summer.
The 20-year-old and his representative, Aidy Ward, are due to meet the Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, and chief executive, Ian Ayre, on Friday and are expected to confirm the club’s long-held suspicions that he will push for a lucrative transfer this summer.
Irrespective of that push, Liverpool informed United that their second highest goalscorer this season – with 11 goals – is not for sale at any price.
Whether that will deter United from returning with an offer that will tempt Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owner, to sanction a move that would stun not only both clubs’ supporters but the wider football world remains to be seen and also, at this stage, highly unlikely.
Manchester City are primed to take advantage of Sterling’s desire to leave Liverpool and are willing to pay the winger around £150k a week to entice him to the Etihad Stadium as part of their drive to recruit young British talent this summer.
But, as with their city rivals, it would take an extravagant bid to tempt Liverpool who have Sterling under contract until 2017 and are currently minded to hold him to his £35,000-a-week deal until next summer.
FSG, who have asked Rodgers to lead a review into this season’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, showed with Luis Suárez and Arsenal in 2013 that they are unwilling to sell to a Premier League rival and have informed United that is the situation with Sterling.
Despite completing the £25m transfer of the PSV Eindhoven winger Memphis Depay this week, and the acceptance that Liverpool are highly unlikely to sell a key player to their fierce north-west rivals, United have inquired about Sterling’s availability in anticipation of him agitating for a move from Anfield this summer.
The 20-year-old and his representative, Aidy Ward, are due to meet the Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, and chief executive, Ian Ayre, on Friday and are expected to confirm the club’s long-held suspicions that he will push for a lucrative transfer this summer.
Irrespective of that push, Liverpool informed United that their second highest goalscorer this season – with 11 goals – is not for sale at any price.
Whether that will deter United from returning with an offer that will tempt Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owner, to sanction a move that would stun not only both clubs’ supporters but the wider football world remains to be seen and also, at this stage, highly unlikely.
Manchester City are primed to take advantage of Sterling’s desire to leave Liverpool and are willing to pay the winger around £150k a week to entice him to the Etihad Stadium as part of their drive to recruit young British talent this summer.
But, as with their city rivals, it would take an extravagant bid to tempt Liverpool who have Sterling under contract until 2017 and are currently minded to hold him to his £35,000-a-week deal until next summer.
FSG, who have asked Rodgers to lead a review into this season’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, showed with Luis Suárez and Arsenal in 2013 that they are unwilling to sell to a Premier League rival and have informed United that is the situation with Sterling.
This is probably where I am with this. I do think that Sterling may want to go back to London from a personal point of view but I do think the driving force behind this is Ward and his own self promotion.
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