Why Liverpool Must Be Wary of Raheem Sterling Link with Real Madrid

Friday morning saw former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher bluntly blast the agent of Raheem Sterling for "feeding stories about his contract."

Carragher's tweet followed an article by Neil Ashton in The Daily Mail that claimed "Liverpool face a massive battle to persuade Raheem Sterling to sign an extension to his £30,000-a-week contract at Anfield."

Such a claim comes on the back of reports last week, such as The Guardian's Paul Doyle, linking Real Madrid with a move for the 19-year-old.

Manager Brendan Rodgers responded to Real's supposed interest by saying he was "relaxed" about Sterling's contract situation, as per James Pearce of The Liverpool Echo.

Development

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It's hard to remember that a year ago Sterling wasn't even making Liverpool's squad, let alone their starting XI and being such an important member of the team—especially now in the wake of Luis Suarez's departure.

It was only in December that the teenager found his way back in the side and his form in the latter half of the season catapulted him to England duty, becoming a key player for both club and country.

His first start in a more central role, against Manchester United at Old Trafford, saw a new side and maturity to his game and from there he excelled in the attacking midfielder/No. 10 role at the tip of Brendan Rodgers' midfield diamond.

"

9 - Raheem Sterling has been involved in nine goals (six goals, three assists) in his last 10 Premier League apps. Missile.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 20, 2014"

Sterling is a prodigious talent but also one which needs handling the right way. His worst performance of the season arrived on Wednesday night, where the Jamaican-born attacker struggled against FC Basel.

He's made 11 appearances this season for club and country, compared to seven last year at this time—of which only two were starts. Burnout is a problem which needs handling properly.

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Rodgers will be hoping that the form of Philippe Coutinho, Lazar Markovic and Adam Lallana improves, along with goals from Mario Balotelli and Daniel Sturridge, so that Sterling can be rotated more often rather than being one of the first names on the team sheet.

Rodgers opted to rest Sterling after the last international break, in the defeat to Aston Villa at Anfield, and may have to do similarly if the youngster features in both games for Roy Hodgson's side over the next fortnight.

Value

Liverpool signed Serbian winger Markovic for a reported £20 million from Benfica this summer—a player who is six months older than Sterling and similarly rated highly across Europe. It's fair to say that Sterling is a player who would command a much higher fee.

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However, we all know how transfers to big clubs like Real Madrid work—and the murky tactics of football agents—and thus Liverpool must be wary of any interest from the Spanish club.

Sterling currently has two-and-a-half years left on his current deal, expiring in summer 2017. However, should a new deal not be agreed by the end of the current season, once a contract gets into its final two years the strength of the club is weakened.

It's the reason why players such as Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo have both signed new long-term deals before their big money moves to Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively. Clubs need to at least recoup the best price if they are to lose such an asset.

Losing Sterling for anything below his value would be criminal, especially given his potential development in years to come.

"

Message to Raheem Sterling agent, shut up feeding stories about his contract.

— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) October 3, 2014"

That's why it's imperative that Liverpool get Sterling signed to a new contract, just as they are planning to do with Daniel Sturridge, as Rodgers confirmed on Thursday.

Sterling is on a reported £30,000 per week, as per The Liverpool Echo, with significant bonuses topping up his salary. Clearly his status within the Liverpool squad represents a higher wage and Liverpool know that.

Rodgers remarked last week that Sterling "and his representatives know how comfortable he is here"—sadly his agent seems to care less about that and more about getting a bigger contract for his client.

Football agents care little about a player's comfort and more about their own back pocket, a bigger contract or a big money move abroad would suit Sterling's agent and Liverpool must be wary of that.