Football transfer rumours: Real Madrid to swoop for Raheem Sterling?

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/sep/24/football-transfer-rumours

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The Mill imagines it went something like this: Brendan Rodgers, having hailed Raheem Sterling as the best young player in Europe last April, realises that lots of top clubs will be on the teenager’s trail; so the manager advises Liverpool’s owner to offer the player a bumper new contract in the summer; John W Henry, who has both hands in casts after being bumped to the ground in an unfortunate training ground accident involving Kolo Touré, is unable to respond with a mocking tweet so just uses good old-fashioned speech to indicate his agreement; so Rodgers strides over to HR, picks up the new contract and is on his way over to Sterling to give the player the new deal ... when a rollerskate-wearing Touré comes spinning like a tornado through the Shankly Gates and crashes into the manager, sending the new contract flying into the sky and the future of Liverpool’s best player plunging into uncertainty.

That is one possibility. Another is that Sterling is somewhat miffed at remaining one of the lowest-paid senior players at Anfield – struggling by on £30,000 per week – and wants to bring Rodgers up to speed with the way of the real footballing world after the manager said young players should not be rewarded too soon. Suddenly, as if by an agent’s design, reports have emerged in the Daily Mirror that the Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has put Sterling “on top of his hit-list” and Liverpool risk losing Sterling even though his current deal runs until 2017 and any hit-list Ancelotti might have drawn up is about as relevant as Albert Einstein’s trousers when it comes to determining Real Madrid’s transfer policy.

Meanwhile, Louis van Gaal is said to be urging Manchester United to spend whatever it takes to prise Arturo Vidal from Juventus, possibly so that the manager can sub him off at crucial points in key games. After months of meticulous study, Van Gaal has also reached the conclusion that United may need to strengthen their defence – and he wants Ron Vlaar to do that. But Arsenal and, of course, Aston Villa want Vlaar too. So United have another target: their former player Gerard Piqué.

Roberto Soldado, anyone for Roberto Soldado? That’s what Spurs are said to be shouting as they push a wheelie stall all over Europe. The ears of Internazionale and Atlético Madrid have pricked up.

Everton say Ross Barkley is not for sale and cannot be lured away from Goodison Park. Manchester City laugh and prepare to hitch their skirt up higher.

From Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal are poised to sign, yes, a promising young Frenchman, Adrien Rabiot.

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