Why Liverpool Are Facing Transfer Conundrum over Raheem Sterling

As the regular cycle of footballers signing new contracts with their current clubs goes, Raheem Sterling's potential new deal at Liverpool, as per Chris Bascombe of The Telegraph, seems no different.

Rumours of a lucrative new deal are then met with a cocky statement from an agent to inflict fear into the club that they may lose their star player. That's always publicly cooled by the club who say they have negotiations in control and eventually the player signs a contract.

We all know of course, that contract is fairly meaningless, and the player may still walk out of the club in the next transfer window—something Liverpool owner John Henry looked to turn on its head when Luis Suarez attempted to break his contract early and force his way out of Anfield in 2013, as per Sky Sports:

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What we've found over the years is that contracts don't seem to mean a lot in England - actually not in England, in world football. It doesn't matter how long a player's contract is, he can decide he's leaving.

We sold Fernando Torres for £50m. We didn't want to sell but we were forced to. For the first time (with Suarez) we took the position that we weren't selling.

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Now Liverpool find themselves in a familiar situation with Sterling.

The world is at the 19-year-old's feet, having already been linked with a move to Real Madrid, as per the Daily Mirror, and off the back of a phenomenal year on Merseyside.

No doubt Sterling is one of Liverpool's most prized assets, potentially the shining light in the club's future, having established himself as a first-team mainstay and playing a significant role in the Reds' Premier League title charge in 2013-14.

But the England international has no ties with Liverpool, the city or the club, and the lure of Real Madrid or another top European club and all their riches will soon be along. There's little loyalty in modern football.

So what do Liverpool do? In a business sense, getting Sterling to put pen to paper on a new deal seems a no-brainer—it will only increase his transfer fee should he leave Liverpool—but should the club be held to ransom over his increase in pay?

According to Simon Mullock of the Daily Mirror, Sterling's new deal will see him earn £100,000-a-week—a phenomenal amount for a player so young and was underperforming until less than a year ago.

Footballers are the evil of the modern game, yet treated by fans like heroes. Their spiralling wage demands and transfer fees dictate clubs' budgets and whilst owners get accused of being greedy, in reality it is the players who are forcing ticket prices and the cost of football up, with few clubs making a sound profit.

Jon Super/Associated Press

In footballing terms, for Liverpool's medium and long-term strategies, how does Brendan Rodgers go about planning the club's future knowing that Sterling's potential new contract "doesn't mean a lot" in the words of his employer?

Do Liverpool inevitably face waiting for the day Sterling leaves to bring in new attacking talent, just like what has happened this summer following Suarez's move to Barcelona, or does Rodgers keep the faith that Sterling is a player in it for the long haul and begin to build the team around him?

Whilst Liverpool may well follow up Daniel Sturridge's recent contract extension with one for Sterling, in the grand scheme of things they mean very little for the club's short of long-term future.