Despite assuring Liverpool supporters that the future of winger-cum-makeshift striker Raheem Sterling would be sorted out sooner rather than later, with the latter of the two creeping up on Kopites everywhere, the Reds boss took an entirely different tone when asked about negotiations yesterday.
“The club has offered an incredible deal for a young player. But if they get too much, too young then it really sabotages their development” explained the Northern Irishman. “It is very important for young players, not just Raheem, that they have something to strive for. If they are given sound advice they will see that. It is about mapping out the career of a player. It is not just about this deal. In Raheem’s case, we believe this will be the best place for him and I believe he knows that as well.”
Sterling, whose current deal runs until 2017, has reportedly rejected a number of offers including the clubs opening offer that would see his wages doubled to somewhere around the £70,000 a week mark. The Reds current top scorer — and the creator of most of their chances — is reported to be holding out for superstar money with his eyes very much widened by the amount that more established stars pull in each week.
Although Liverpool have offloaded a number of their highest earners with Steven Gerrard’s substantial pay-packet set to be off the book come the summer, Rodgers reaffirmed the fact that his side aren’t about to pay over the mark or be held to ransom over wages. “What he has been granted here is an opportunity – we see it with lots of young players – and they get rewarded for that,” continued the Reds manager. “But we are certainly not a club who are going to give out way, way above what a player is worth at a certain time in a career. It is not a case of giving any player what they want.”
