Rodgers warns that LFC won’t be held to ransom over Sterling’s contract

As the contract situation of Raheem Sterling rumbles on, a new twist occurred at the weekend, which appeared to suggest that Liverpool were dragging their heels as Steven Gerrard declared that Liverpool must get the contracts of Sterling, Henderson and all of the club’s young stars wrapped up before the summer.

However, comments from Brendan Rodgers during his pre-Spurs press conference today have left the ball firmly back in Sterling’s court and have opened many to the possibility that the player’s agent may be the cause for the lengthy contract ‘negotiations’. He said “What the club has offered (Sterling) is an incredible deal for a young player. I have spoken to Raheem a number of times. He is very happy here and you see that in his game. What he has been granted at this football club is an opportunity. We see that with lots of young players they are getting the opportunity to play here and they get rewarded for that.

“But we are certainly not a club that is going to give out way way above what a player is worth at a certain time of his career. It is not a case of giving any player, and I am talking generally here rather than just Raheem, what they want. We want to reward our best talents, they are a big part of our future and we are confident that will all be hand and resolved soon.”

With Sterling having been one of the big stars of the season, along with Philippe Coutinho who has recently penned a new 5 years contract, the pressure will be on the club to wrap up the player’s contract and prevent the likes of Real Madrid from snapping him up over the summer transfer window.

On the top of Sterling’s situation specifically, Rodgers continued “In Raheem’s case he has been outstanding since we put him in the team but we mustn’t forget this was a 17-year-old boy who was given an opportunity at Liverpool. In the two and half years since he has been introduced into the squad he has been fantastic but he still has a long way to go.

“He still has bit to do in his development and we believe this will be the best place for him and I believe he knows that as well. It is important that you reward and for him his value and worth is very important for us, but also that you leave something for them to progress onto the next level and that is same for all young players, not just Raheem.”

Should Liverpool just hand Sterling whatever he wants, or do the club need to show strength and refuse to give in to player/agent demands? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.