If there was any doubt before about Raheem Sterling's days at Liverpool FC being numbered, there certainly isn't any now. According to numerous sources, the 20-year-old attacking midfielder and striker has told manager Brendan Rodgers that he wishes to be left out of Liverpool summer tour 2015 squad. Sterling has been pushing for a transfer to Manchester City for quite some time now, and most expect that his reluctance to go on tour with the Reds is just another attempt to force Rodgers' hand.
The Timeline of Sterling's Discontent
For the first few years of his tenure at Liverpool, everything seemed right between Raheem Sterling and the football club. He came to Anfield in 2010, after the Reds beat out other interested parties (including Manchester City) to sign him from Queens Park Rangers.
At the time, Sterling was just 15 years old, but he quickly blossomed into one of Liverpool's most promising young talents. By the time he was 17, he was getting playing time with the senior squad, and by the 2013 2014 season, he was part of the starting lineup. In April 2014, he even scored the first goal in an eventual 3-2 win over Manchester City-nearly helping Liverpool to beat the Sky Blues to the title.
But everything seemed to turn sour between Sterling and Liverpool over the past season. He made fewer appearances and scored fewer goals during the 2014 2015 Premier League than he had the year before, and Rodgers even excused him for a pair of matches in the mid-season on account of exhaustion.
In April 2015, Sterling revealed to the press that he had rejected a new contract offer from Liverpool. He said, in no uncertain terms, that he wanted to leave the soccer club for a team with a better record for winning titles. Understandably, his comments didn't sit well with fans, who booed him in vitriolic fashion during Liverpool's final game of the 2014 2015 Premier League season (a 1-6 loss against Stoke City). He's also been booed this summer while playing for the England national football team.
Rejected Transfer Offers
He wasn't lying.
This summer, Liverpool have already rejected two hefty bids for Sterling from Manchester City-one of which was worth £40 million. Rumor has it that Rodgers won't let Raheem go for anything less than £50 million, and while Man City are expected to make another offer, it's unclear whether they are willing to pay that much. After all, £50 million would be the second highest transfer fee ever paid by an English football club-following the £59.7 million that Manchester United paid for Angel di Maria last year-and the most expensive fee ever paid by one Premier League soccer club to another.
In the meantime, Sterling's reputation is down the drain. Sterling neglected to show up to practice in the days following his request to stay home from Liverpool's summer tour, and the consensus among both players and fans is that he's handled this entire situation in immature fashion.
Liverpool's Summer Tour
Whether or not Raheem Sterling gets on the plane, Liverpool FC will be going on tour this summer, bringing their football game to Australia and the Far East for a series of friendly fixtures. The schedule for the 2015 Liverpool summer tour is:
- July 14: Hybrid Friendly against the Thailand All-Stars, at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok.
- July 17: Friendly against the Brisbane Roar, at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
- July 20: Friendly against Adelaide United, at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia.
- July 24: Hybrid Friendly against Malaysia XI, at the Stadium National Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur.
Get ready for the Reds' forthcoming summer tour with a brand new Liverpool jersey 2015 2016 from Soccer Box! Do you think we'll be seeing Raheem Sterling on this tour, or is the young player going to get his wish in the form of a transfer to Manchester City? Share your thoughts with us today, by connecting with Soccer Box on social media! You can find us on many social platforms including Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn.
