The Citizens have locked in, Raheem Sterling, the Liverpool forward for a transfer fee of £49m. The 20-year-old was reportedly unhappy at Anfield and refused to sign a new contract which would have increased his weekly wages to £100,000. Sterling will wear the number 7 jersey vacated by James Milner who went in the opposite direction.
The England international has now become one of the highest paid youngsters in world football as he will earn £160,000-a-week and get added incentives at his new club. Before these revised wages, Sterling used to earn £35,000-a-week at Liverpool.
Sterling’s transfer saga has infuriated a lot of Liverpool fans. The former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard wasn’t happy with the whole situation and blasted his former teammate and asked him to man-up. City’s latest catch didn’t train with the first team squad and also called-in sick for the team’s preseason tour to Thailand.
Brendan Rodgers confirmed the rumors linking Sterling to a move out of Anfield before Manchester City announced the agreement.
“The situation is currently very simple,” Brendan Rodgers told the reporters in Bangkok. “The club has agreed with another club a deal for Raheem to be transferred and subject to a medical that will go through.
The Reds boss also clarified the rumours which claimed that the duo have fallen out.
“Contrary to probably the last week or so in terms of what was written, Raheem and I have stayed very strong in our relationship and have been right up until we left. So there is no issue there. I spoke to Raheem at length before I left (for Thailand) yesterday.
“There is no issue, there is no problem and I said the two clubs have agreed a deal and subject to a medical he will move on. At this moment in time the interest is in the players that are here. The key for us is that it is the overall team that is important.”
Manuel Pellegrini hailed the signing of their most expensive player in the window yet.
The Chilean manager told the club’s official website: “Raheem Sterling is one of the best attacking players in world football, and I am very much looking forward to him joining our squad out in Australia later this week.
“He is a young player with outstanding ability, and I am sure the Manchester City fans will be very excited about seeing him in action for the team.”
Raheem Sterling has had a good start to his Premier League career so far but it would be interesting to see how he would develop at the Etihad. The young Englishman can also find himself on the bench like many other young talented Englishman who joined them over the last few years from elsewhere. Pellegrini’s City are looking to add more and more homegrown players to their squad.
Sterling is now the club’s record signing eclipsing the £38.1m deal in 2011 for the Argentine striker Sergio Aguero. Raheem, 20, has also become the most expensive English footballer of all time.