Liverpool reject €25m Man City bid for Sterling

Carl Markham 07:23 13/06/2015
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  • Target: Sterling.

    Liverpool look set for another summer of transfer upheaval after rejecting a £25 million (Dh143m) offer from Manchester City for forward Raheem Sterling.

    It is understood the bid, which could rise to £30m (Dh171m) with add-ons, was not even seriously considered by the Anfield hierarchy as they value the 20-year-old, who has 24 months left on his current deal, at £50m-plus.

    The club has been involved in transfer sagas the previous two summers with Luis Suarez initially failing to manufacture a move away before, 12 months later, securing a £75m (Dh429m) transfer to Barcelona with whom he has just won the Champions League to add to a domestic double in Spain.

    It seems likely the Reds will face a similar scenario with Sterling as City are unlikely to be deterred by the rebuttal – on Wednesday their chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak promised “high-quality” signings this summer – and it will also alert the interest of neighbours Manchester United who were first to make their interest known.

    However, Chelsea and Arsenal – offering a return to Sterling’s home city – have also been linked while new Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez, who brought Sterling to Anfield when he was a 15-yearold at QPR, has also expressed his admiration for the forward.

    If the Reds are to get close to their valuation they realistically need a bidding war to start between some or all of the parties but they believe they remain in a strong position despite Sterling turning down a £100,000-a-week (Dh572,000) offer in January.

    Last month manager Brendan Rodgers said he expected Sterling to remain at the club.

    “Raheem has two years left and I expect him to see that two years through and continue to behave as immaculately as he has done,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Liverpool have made their third signing of the summer with Bolton goalkeeper Adam Bogdan agreeing terms. The 27-year-old Hungary international’s contract with Wanderers expires at the end of the month and he will officially join the Reds on July 1.

    Bogdan’s arrival follows that of Manchester City midfielder James Milner and Burnley striker Danny Ings, also both out of contract.

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