Manchester United withdraw from race to sign Liverpool wonderkid Raheem Sterling

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Manchester City have been given a huge boost in their pursuit to sign Raheem Sterling this summer as Telegraph Sport have reported that local rivals Manchester United are set to pull out of the race.

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Manuel Pellegrini’s side are understood to be preparing a fresh offer for the Liverpool winger after seeing a reported £25m bid rejected on Thursday night.

United had been rumoured to be interested in the 20-year-old, and Mail Sport reported last month that an enquiry was made, but just like Arsenal on Friday afternoon [via Mirror Sport], they have decided against entering a bidding war over the England international.

This news will excite City as they now appear to have a clear run at signing Sterling and just need to agree a fee with the Anfield outfit, who are thought to be holding out for at least £50m, according to Telegraph Sport.

It remains to be seen whether the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League champions are willing to meet Liverpool’s hefty valuation but given their hopes of adding homegrown players to the squad this summer as reported by Independent Sport, they could be forced into splashing the cash for a player like Sterling, who would clearly be ideal in terms of his age and potential, as well as fitting the homegrown quota.

With United pulling out of the race, it surely signals that Angel Di Maria is staying at the club this summer.

The Argentine did struggle with the demands of English football despite making a stunning start to his career at Old Trafford following his big money move from La Liga giants Real Madrid last year.

During the second half of the season he struggled to make as much of an impact and increasingly found himself playing second fiddle to the likes of Ashley Young and Juan Mata, but he has insisted in recent weeks that he has no plans to seek a move away from United, according to Mirror Sport.

It makes sense for United to give a player of Di Maria’s quality another chance to shine as first choice, though it is also understandable that they may have considered joining the running to sign Sterling given their need for improvement in the attacking areas.

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