Sterling to stay at Liverpool

LIVERPOOL. — Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling will not be leaving the club in the summer despite a breakdown in talks over a new deal, says manager Brendan Rodgers.

The 20-year-old told BBC Sport he is motivated by trophies not money after rejecting a £100 000-a-week contract.

“Liverpool are one of the superpowers of football and if the owners don’t want to sell, they don’t have to,” insisted Rodgers.

Sterling has two years left on a contract worth £35 000 a week.

Rodgers added: “Concentration should be on his football. If his ambition is to win trophies that’s aligned with what we do here.”

The Liverpool boss added that the club had not given him permission to talk to BBC Sport and that he thought it was a “mistake” to carry out the interview.

“There was no permission from us,” he said. “He will learn. We all make mistakes in life, especially when we are young.

“I think the kid has tried to put off all talk about contract and money. For now, hopefully the focus will be on football.”

Sterling rejected suggestions he was “money-grabbing” in an interview aired on Wednesday, after his talks over a new contract hit an impasse.

The 20-year-old England star’s future has become the subject of intense speculation in the British media as Liverpool attempt to extend his current contract beyond its 2017 expiry date.

Reports claim that Sterling has turned down a new deal worth around £100 000 per week, but he said claims he was holding Liverpool to ransom were wide of the mark.

“I don’t want to be perceived as a money-grabbing 20-year-old,” said Sterling, who is reported to earn around £35 000 per week, in a video interview published on the BBC Sport website.

“I just want to be seen as the kid that loves to play football and wants to do the best for the team.” He added: “I would never want the fans to think bad of me, to think I just want as much money for myself. I want them to understand it’s been a bit much for me this season, with everyone talking about it every minute.”

Jamaica-born Sterling joined Liverpool from Queens Park Rangers’ youth academy in 2010 and broke into the first team under manager Brendan Rodgers during the 2012-13 season. — AFP.