The latest plot twist in the Raheem Sterling transfer saga threatens to see the player face the vitriolic scorn of the Kop.
The Guardian state this morning that the Liverpool attacker, who has refused a new deal at Anfield and is widely expected to angle for a move this summer, wants to sign for Manchester United.
The England international’s future has been a major talking point since an ill-fated interview with the BBC earlier this year where he admitted spurning the opportunity to extend his time at Liverpool and called Arsenal’s reported interest as ‘flattering’.
Since then the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, along with the Gunners, have all been mentioned as major suitors of the Jamaica-born flyer.
However, the sale of Sterling to United would surely be every Reds fan’s worst nightmare.
The newspaper report claims that the 20-year-old is intrigued by the prospect of working with Louis van Gaal and would be eager to make the switch to Old Trafford this summer.
The Dutch maestro, despite the summer signing of Memphis Depay already this summer, is said to admire the Reds attacker and would welcome his arrival at the Manchester club.
Van Gaal is said to be a fan of Sterling due to his versatility and the fact that he has been effective playing in a number of different roles across Liverpool’s front three.
The prospect of having Depay on one flank and Sterling on the other would be a mouth-watering prospect for the United fans and confirm the club’s status as a major player amongst Europe’s elite once more.
Just whether Liverpool would be willing to sell their prize asset to their fierce rivals remains a point of contention, with the perennial distaste between the sides being experienced for longer than Sterling has been alive.
It would be a major transfer coup by United and a controversial move for Sterling and Liverpool, but talk of this astonishing transfer is seemingly gathering pace.
Fifa scandal continues with Irish revelations
The arrest of 18 high-ranking Fifa officials last week before the presidential elections in Switzerland made global news, but it appears that this has been just the starting point for the scandal.
With new accusations and controversies being unearthed on an almost daily basis, the latest development, as per the BBC, involves the Football Association of Ireland.
FAI chief executive John Delaney has revealed that Fifa handed the Irish body €5 million in the aftermath of Thierry Henry’s infamous handball for France that prevented the Republic of Ireland a place at the 2010 World Cup.
The former Arsenal forward’s dishonesty was contested by Delaney, who was said to be preparing legal action against Fifa as a result.
However, Delaney has now revealed that the FAI were convinced to drop their proposed legal proceedings in a ‘legitimate agreement’ that saw the body receive €5m from Fifa.
The world governing body has since claimed the money was handed to the Irish organisation to assist in the construction of a new stadium – but the plans for the new arena have since been scrapped.
Fifa claim that the money was a loan that was due to be paid back if Ireland qualified for the 2014 World Cup, which they didn’t, and as such has written off the money.
The FAI claim that it was a settlement to avoid the legal action against Fifa.
The level of corruption, bribery and financial mismanagement that is being revealed in the world game is shocking, with Sepp Blatter seemingly a key proponent in the scandal.
Follow Soccerlens on Twitter here
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
