Liverpool: City close on Sterling

The Etihad Stadium side failed with two previous bids for the 20 year old England global but are now set to meet Liverpool’s £50m valuation, albeit with £45m of that sum being up-front with another £5m dependent on Sterling’s success at the club.

The unsettled England global, who has turned down the offer of a new contract at Anfield, is thought to have already been the subject of two previous City offers. Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, has tried his best to protect Sterling from criticism, but even he is likely to accept the player’s future lies elsewhere given the ill-feeling after increasingly combative contract talks. Sanchez was signed for £35m in July 2014.

“Another area of the market which has been undergoing profound change is the market for young players, with progressively more value being attributed to the hottest prospects”.

Seventeen of the 20 players were born and bred in Europe with Marquinhos, Atletico Madrid’s Uruguayan defender Jose Gimenez and Benfica’s Brazilian midfielder Anderson Talisca the only exceptions.

Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw is ranked ninth, Everton’s John Stones 16th and Arsenal’s Calum Chambers 19th.

The Premier League’s financial muscle and ability to draw talent is demonstrated, with no fewer than 9 English-based players included in the report.

Liverpool have not had contact with City since their second bid was rejected last month, although a fresh approach is expected soon.

Esteve Calzada, CEO of Prime Time Sport, said: “This report has produced a number of very interesting conclusions with regards to home-grown player regulations and Europe’s dominance in producing the world’s most valuable young talents”.

It is understood that the Reds value the 20-year-old at £50 million.