Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says Raheem Sterling is a ‘real catalyst and talisman’ for the club and is confident that the youngster would sign a new contract shortly.
According to reports from The Guardian, Liverpool are in talks with Sterling’s agent over a contract extension. The 20-year-old has a contract till 2017, but Liverpool want to reward the forward’s mercurial rise with a lucrative new deal.
Rodgers is hopeful that Sterling will reject all the temptations dangled at him, and will not follow Luis Suarez out of Liverpool. Reports emerged in Germany that Bayern Munich are keeping a close tab on the England International and see him as a plan B option, in case they fail to land Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus.
When asked to comment on Sterling’s contract situation and whether he could leave given Liverpool’s current problems, Rodgers said:
“Hopefully that won’t be the case. We are a club that are trying to build something. We were on a path for a couple of years and of course we’ve had to come off that path since the summer. We’ve lost some players and are having to regroup again.
“Raheem is a real catalyst and talisman for this team. He’s been a great example of the progress that a lot of the players have made here, going from a youth team player into one of the top young players in European football. The club will work very hard [on the new contract]. Raheem’s happy here and loves being a Liverpool player. I’m sure between them and his representatives we can get a deal done that sees him continue to develop what is an exciting career.”
Rodgers, who rubbished talks of dressing room disharmony ahead of Liverpool’s League cup tie against Bournemouth, is also confident about his own position, despite coming under intense speculation on his future recently.
Reports emerged that contract negotiations with Sterling had stalled following Liverpool’s shock elimination from the Champions League, but Rodgers insists the claim did not originate from the Sterling camp.
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