Raheem Sterling’s protracted contract negotiations didn’t need any sort of sub-plot to them, but Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane added just that when the Los Blancos legend admitted that they’re keeping a close eye on the situation at Anfield.
“We know who Raheem Sterling is, and of course we are monitoring him as a player,” confirmed possibly the best player of his generation. “There are very few players in the world who can improve the Real Madrid squad, so it is going to make sense we monitor the progress of the best young players in the world. We monitored [Gareth] Bale for over a year, the same with Isco and also [Raphaël] Varane. We monitor many of the best young players in Europe, then if we feel they have something to offer Real Madrid we will contact their club and try and make the next step.”
This, of course, comes as bad news for the Reds with the 20-year old already confirming that he’s turned down an offer of £100,000 per week from the club. In a wide ranging interview with the BBC, Sterling revealed that he was more interested in winning trophies than he was in money. With an FA Cup quarter-final with Blackburn Rovers just over the horizon, Sterling still has a chance to take home some silverware this season, but if Real Madrid’s interest is genuine, it’d be hard for the youngster to not to have his head turned by the Spanish giants.
Although Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti previously denied that they had any interest in Sterling, this latest revelation will certainly have ears perked up. Real, who claimed the Champions League for the tenth time last season, remain the richest team in the world and arguably the best — if you want to truly challenge for trophies on every level, there’s few teams where you’d have a better chance of doing just that. Now, whether or not the 20-year old would get a game at the Santiago Bernabéu remains to be seen, but if they can pay Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard £80,000 a week, money won’t be sticking point…
