Real prepared to pay big for Reds star if Bale leaves.
Real Madrid are prepared to pay around £45m to sign unsettled Liverpool star Raheem Sterling if they do end up losing Gareth Bale to Manchester United, according to sources in Spain.
SEE MORE:
Strootman Man Utd – fire-sale to fund midfielder bid
SEE ALSO: best teenagers in world football
Top 50 best footballers in the world 2014/15
The Champions League winners made the unpopular decisions to sell the likes of Angel Di Maria and Xabi Alonso in the summer, and are now supposedly set to consider the £90m sale of Bale to United after the Welshman emerged as a top target for Louis van Gaal.
While Real’s fans will be delighted that the club appear set on keeping Cristiano Ronaldo at the Bernabeu despite interest from several top clubs, the departure of Bale would surely need to see the Spanish giants sign a top quality replacement, with Sterling seemingly the player in mind for manager Carlo Ancelotti.
The 19-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best young players in Europe at the moment, having burst onto the scene at Anfield last season with some fantastic displays, before then shining for England in the World Cup this summer.
Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have also shown an interest in the talented wide-man, but Real could offer a tempting £45m to lure him away from Merseyside, with the player stalling on signing a new contract at the club.
Sterling may be considering a move away from the Reds, and although the club will not want to see another big name leave after selling Luis Suarez to Barcelona in pre-season, they may have to consider offers for Sterling if he continues to show no signs of renewing his current deal.
Sterling will have big boots to fill if he does replace Bale, who has shone at Real since moving to the club for a world-record fee of £85m last summer.