Former Liverpool boss, Rafa Benitez, could well be stealing one of the club’s top stars in the coming weeks
Since the unspoken secret that Rafa Benitez was off to Real Madrid broke a few weeks ago, there have been two facts that most Liverpool fans have had to come to terms with: 1. That Rafa coming back to Liverpool was going to have to go on the back-boiler for a few more years, and 2. That Sterling was likely to become a target for the man that originally signed him as a 15 year old for the Reds.
The 20 year old Liverpool forward/winger has come off the back of a mixed season for Liverpool, but after the last 18 months in a Red shirt, his stock is at the highest of any English player in Europe. Sure, the likes of Harry Kane, James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond are great hopes for England and are no doubt going to be targeted by bigger clubs in the summer, Sterling’s reputation has become European, if not global, since the start of the current season with the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City, PSG and Real Madrid showing interest.
However, with Benitez now officially unveiled as the new Madrid manager, it’s likely that the Reds will see a bid materialize in the coming weeks after comments from the Spanish boss added fuel to the fire yesterday, when he said during his first press conference: “We admire Raheem, that’s no secret – but he is not one of our players so I can’t really comment on him.”
Using one of Harry Redknapp and Arsene Wenger’s favourite tricks, Rafa has basically confirmed that he is interested, without having to say so directly; no doubt Sterling’s agent, Aidy Ward, will have had his ears pricked by that statement.
Will Sterling end up at the Bernabeu over the summer, or will the re-affirmed, even if only temporary, stability at Anfield convince the 20 year old to stay? Let us know your thoughts below.
