Brendan Rodgers has vowed to keep Raheem Sterling at Liverpool, despite recent reports claiming Bayern Munich have registered an interest in the 20-year-old.
Sterling is yet to sign a contract extension at the club despite negotiations having started months ago, and reports last week suggested the forward had deemed the Reds offer of £70,000 a week as ‘unacceptable.’
Speaking ahead of tonight’s Capital One Cup quarter final clash with Bournemouth, Roodgers was assked whether there could be implications for Sterling’s future if Liverpool did not strengthen their squad in the summer.
“We’re a club that is trying to build something here,” he replied. “We were on a path for a couple of years and unfortunately we’ve had to come off that path since the summer. We lost some players and we’re having to regroup again really.
“He [Raheem] is a real catalyst and a talisman for this team. I think he has been a great example of the progress that a lot of the players have made here, going from an 18-year-old player to being one of the top young players in English football.
“The club, I’m sure, will work very hard [to keep Sterling]. Raheem is happy here and he loves being a Liverpool player.
“So I’m sure that between them and his representatives we can get a deal done which will see him continue to develop what is an exciting career.”
“He’s the type of boy who leaves his representatives to work with the club in order to hopefully organise the deal for him,” Rodgers added.
“He has no real influence in that. All I ever ask him to do is concentrate on football, concentrate on getting himself ready for training and the performances will come.
“He’s shown that consistently over this last period that he’s been a real, real threat and he’s a top young player. I’ll never be surprised that teams are linked with Raheem. He’s such a big talent and he’s just turned 20 years of age.
“He’s a wonderful young player and he’s a very mature young man. I’m quite relaxed about it.”
