Manchester City are reportedly ready to meet Liverpool‘s £50 million asking price for Raheem Sterling, opening the door for a summer transfer move for the England international.

According to the Daily Express‘ John Richardson, the Citizens’ two previous offers had been rejected, but they’re now willing to meet the Reds’ demands:

As Sunday Express Sport has revealed Liverpool are prepared to sell the 20-year-old but not for a penny under £50 million.

Sources close to the Merseyside club have indicated that City won’t drop their interest for the sake of another £10 million in a summer in which they are committed to bringing in top English talent.

The City hierarchy also know that other clubs including Rafa Benitez’s Real Madrid, Arsenal and Chelsea are lurking.

Sterling seems all but certain to leave Anfield after a rocky finish to the 2014-15 campaign, and Bleacher Report’s Graham Ruthven fully expects a transfer to completed by the end of the summer:

The 20-year-old was one of Liverpool’s key contributors last season but seemed almost disinterested by the end of the campaign, and at this point, fans don’t even seem to mind his potential departure all that much.

As one of England’s brightest young talents, he should net the club a significant fee, and the reported bid of £50 million could be used to upgrade the squad in other areas, most notably the attacking third.

Some will question City’s decision to spend such a large sum on one player who shows plenty of promise but hasn’t produced like some of the elite stars at his position, but English talent always comes at a premium. Former England international Rio Ferdinand acknowledges Sterling’s potential but still doesn’t agree with the valuation:

In many ways, a £50 million move would suit both clubs. Liverpool know they’ll likely be forced into a sale, and while they’d rather not strengthen a direct rival, the youngster seems destined to stay in the Premier League for now.

As a home-grown player with incredible upside, he’ll inject some much-needed youth into City’s squad, and if his progression continues, he could be one of the club’s biggest star for the next decade.

It remains to be seen whether another club will jump in and out-bid the Citizens, but even if that’s not the case, Liverpool should be happy to receive £50 million for a player who was likely to leave in the immediate future anyhow.

 

Mateo Kovacic‘s Future Unclear

With Geoffrey Kondogbia all but certain to join Inter Milan, questions over the future of longtime Liverpool target Mateo Kovacic have started to surface once more.

Sky Sports’ Fabrizio Romano shared these images of Kondogbia signing his new deal with the Nerazzurri, and unless his medical reveals any irregularities, he should be officially announced at some point during the coming days:

That news was immediately followed by conflicting reports regarding Kovacic. David Amoyal of Gianluca Di Marzio remains adamant the Nerazzurri want to keep him, while Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Metro‘s Will Giles) believe the Reds have nearly met Inter’s valuation of the player and will complete the transfer at some point this summer.

Inter were hit with punishments after breaking the financial fair play rules earlier this year, via Sky Sports, so they will have to find a way to clear the books. Moving Kovacic could be a solution, and with Kondogbia now in the fold, the Croatia international seems like the perfect player to be sold.

Bursting with talent, Kovacic had a disappointing 2014-15 campaign that saw him get benched on multiple occasions. He flashed his potential throughout the year, but overall, 2014-15 was not a good season for him.

He remains an intriguing young player, however, and WhoScored’s Ben McAleer thinks Inter would be mad to cash in now:

FFP regulations might not give the Nerazzurri much of a choice, as tantalising as a combination of Kovacic and Kondogbia in midfield sounds, and for the right offer, it should be possible for the likes of Liverpool to convince the Italians to sell.

As mentioned before, Kovacic looked far from convincing last season, but the 21-year-old is an emerging talent who may just need a change of scenery to unlock his vast potential. A gifted playmaker and scorer, he should make for a fine addition to a group of midfielders that just lost Steven Gerrard.

Kovacic would need some time to get used to the Premier League and still needs some seasoning, but his long-term upside makes him well worth the significant fee it would take to bring him to England.

 

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