England international, Raheem Sterling has finally joined Manchester City From Liverpool in a deal worth up to £49 million.
This ends the long awaited news of the future of the 20 year old player who refused to show up at Liverpool’s training for two days ahead of their pre-season tour.
City made three bids for the player, two of which were thrown to the trash can earlier this summer, but a third and final offer, totalling £44m up front plus a further £5m in add-ons, was accepted at the weekend.
Sterling’s agent, Aidy Ward, claimed earlier this week that there had been a “breakdown in trust” between Sterling and Rodgers, suggesting that his client no longer wanted to play under the Reds manager.
However, the 20-year-old now has his move and becomes City’s record signing, eclipsing the £38.1m deal that saw Sergio Aguero join the club in 2011, and the most expensive English footballer of all time.
QPR are also due a windfall, with Sterling’s former club retaining 20 per cent sell-on fee thanks to a clause in the forward’s contract when he moved to Anfield for an initial £400,000 in 2010 now totalling around £9m.