Liverpool Transfer News: Latest on Raheem Sterling and Fabio Borini Exit Rumours

Raheem Sterling standing proudly with another club's shirt in his hands and posing for the cameras is the stuff of nightmares for Liverpool fans, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility.

The Englishman's apparent reluctance to sign a new contract has been hot news of late, with contracts worth silly amounts of money reportedly being turned down.

However, manager Brendan Rodgers has spoken out on the youngster's future to BBC Sport, insisting he's not leaving Anfield:

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Liverpool are one of the superpowers of football and if the owners don't want to sell, they don't have to. Concentration should be on his football. If his ambition is to win trophies, that's aligned with what we do here. This is one of the great clubs of the footballing world and, for Raheem, to be playing here it's an honour. He understands that, he sees that.

"

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Let's cast our minds back to this time last season.

Luis Suarez was banging in the goals for Liverpool, and his brilliance brought about several transfer links to the biggest clubs in the world. Cue Rodgers, via Bleacher Report UK:

Granted, the Uruguayan's behaviour condemned him to the Anfield exit door, but it all means we can't take the Liverpool boss's word as gospel.

Sterling has been phenomenal for the Reds this season, producing excellent displays wherever he has been positioned and showing the kind of development he always threatened as a teenager.

However, the 20-year-old wants more than a starting berth in Liverpool's lineup week in and week out. He wants silverware—as he said in a recent interview with BBC Sport, via Beanyman Sports:

The Reds are still fighting for FA Cup glory, but that may not be enough to keep him on Merseyside, particularly with the likes of Chelsea sniffing around.

According to Jack de Menezes of The Independent, the Blues are ready to join Arsenal and Manchester City in the race to sign Sterling, although a fee of less than £50 million is unlikely to be accepted.

Is Sterling worth such an astronomical amount of money, though?

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Well, Stan Collymore of Bleacher Report says he isn't and that Liverpool should cash in:

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If Liverpool were to lose Sterling and get a healthy transfer fee of around £25 million to £30 million for him, as a former player, I wouldn't necessarily be sad to see him go. It would be better if he did sign a new contract, but if he is asking for ridiculous money, then absolutely not. Liverpool will be able to find players as good as Sterling in their academy, such as Jordon Ibe.

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Jordan Ibe is undoubtedly a top player with a bright future, but filling the boots of Sterling will take some doing. Sky Sports News HQ revealed just how important a player he's been for the Liverpool this term:

Plus, the Reds have shown this season that cashing in on a star man and investing in numerous other players doesn't always work.

It took them a long time to get settled this season, and should Sterling—their new main man—depart, who knows how long it'll be before they're battling for the title once again.

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Success determines Sterling's loyalty to the club, so Rodgers must keep the 20-year-old focused on the task at hand and see Liverpool into the Champions League for next season and possibly more.

There's still a long way to go in this contract saga, though, and much like Sterling himself, it's set to run and run and run.

Fabio Borini

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Another forward could well be on his way out of Anfield in the summer, as Fabio Borini is edging closer and closer to the exit door.

The Italian hasn't been given many opportunities under Rodgers this season, and when he's had them, he hasn't exactly sparkled.

So, it's no surprise to see The Sun reporting, via Simon Burnton of The Guardian, that Borini will be sold in the summer, with as many as eight clubs looking to secure his signature.

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Borini enjoyed a loan spell with Sunderland in the 2013/14 campaign, but he hasn't been able to resurrect such form in the red shirt.

He'd been linked with a permanent switch to Wearside both last summer and in January but decided to stay and insisted at the turn of the year that he could be a success at Anfield, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo.

"I still believe I can be a success here," he said. "I've never regretted staying here. Yes, I could have left but I wanted to stay at Liverpool and I'm glad I did."

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However, should Liverpool receive a reasonable bid in the summer, they'll likely let Borini go.

Combine that with Sterling's exit and Rickie Lambert's and Mario Balotelli's potential moves away from Merseyside, and the Reds suddenly have a striker shortage.

While we can't always believe the rumours, Rodgers needs to act fast to keep Sterling in red or prepare for the future should he depart.