Liverpool could lose Raheem Sterling, Martin Samuel tells Sunday Supplement

Liverpool are vulnerable to losing Raheem Sterling – and have to perform on the pitch to keep him, says Martin Samuel.

It was reported this week that the England prodigy is in no hurry to extend his current deal at Anfield and Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are among Europe’s top clubs seemingly interested in acquiring his services.

Sterling is contracted with the Reds for another two years after this season but the Daily Mail’s Samuel says that will matter little to clubs such as Real, who can afford huge transfer fees to snap up the 19-year-old. Instead, he says Liverpool must secure his future at the club by challenging for – and winning – major titles.

Sterling is right up there as the sort of guy that would end up at Real Madrid or Barcelona.

“Liverpool are vulnerable, there’s no doubt about that,” he told Sunday Supplement.

“The word ‘transition’ was mentioned this week and that is not a word any young player at a football club wants to here. Transition can go either way, it can mean all these players we’ve bought are going to come together and we’ll be good again or it could mean it’s going wonky and we don’t quite know where it’s going.

“Then you’ve got Real Madrid and a contract won’t make the slightest bit of difference to them if they want somebody.

“Liverpool are definitely vulnerable to the two in Spain [Real and Barcelona], they’re probably vulnerable to Bayern Munich and they’re vulnerable to PSG - and they’re even vulnerable in this country if Man City really wanted to come in.

“Rather than the contract issue, it’s a problem for Liverpool because they’ve got to do something to show that they’re moving forward again.”

Blow

Samuel reckons Sterling is arguably ahead of where current Ballon d’Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo was at the age of 19 and if Liverpool were to lose his services, having already seen Luis Suarez depart for Barcelona in the summer, it would be a serious concern, in terms of the status of the club.   

“Sterling is ahead of where Gareth Bale was at the same age and he’s possibly ahead of where Ronaldo was at the same age,” said Samuel.  

“Sterling is right up there as the sort of guy that would end up at Real Madrid or Barcelona.

“When Liverpool lost Suarez, you can dress that up as ‘his position was untenable in English football after what happened in the World Cup, Barcelona want to pay £75m for this guy people want us to sack for nothing, it’s fantastic’.

“It didn’t look like the blow it would have looked like without the bite at the World Cup. But lose Sterling and suddenly Liverpool look vulnerable.” 

Watch the video above to see the Sunday Supplement panel discuss Brendan Rodgers' decision to drop Mario Balotelli against West Brom.