Liverpool’s hefty £50million valuation of Raheem Sterling appears to be doing the trick as Premier League rivals Chelsea have become the latest team to baulk at that asking price, according to SkySports.
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The England international is expected to depart Anfield this summer given the public knowledge of his refusal to sign a new deal with the Merseyside outfit [via BBC Sport].
Sterling has been linked with a move to Manchester City in the last few days and speculation in Telegraph Sport last week suggested that a second offer was in the waters after the Reds had rejected an opening offer of £25million.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side remain keen on signing the 20-year-old this summer and according to Mail Sport they are unwilling to pay £50million and feel they can negotiate on the price and get him cheaper.
Premier League rivals Arsenal are also understood to be in the running for Sterling, who reportedly favours a switch back to his hometown of London [via Mirror Online], but reports on Friday [via Mirror Online] suggested they were set to pull out of the race due to the price-tag.
However, reports that surfaced over the weekend [via Metro Sport] claimed the Gunners remain interested in the unsettled winger and are willing to battle City for his signature.
Both clubs will be sweating on how serious the interest from Chelsea, who will continue to watch developments closely, but just like their expected challengers for the title next season, they too aren’t keen on entering a bidding war at the moment.
It would be a surprise to many if Sterling is still a Liverpool player when the transfer window closes on August 31 as he wants his future sorted out by the start of the new season, if reports in Express Sport are accurate.
The youngster made 43 appearances in all competitions for the Reds last season and was able to find the back of the net eight times despite being played in various different positions throughout the campaign.
Arguably his best goal of the season came against Chelsea in the Capital One Cup first leg at Anfield …….