Why Juventus Will Not Realistically Sign Liverpool's Raheem Sterling

“Juventus monitoring Raheem Sterling’s situation at Liverpool,” proclaimed Simon Jones of the Daily Mail in April, linking the Italian champions with a move for the England forward.

Going on to say that the interest would “come as little surprise,” the report stated that the player was on a wishlist of summer signings alongside Paulo Dybala and Axel Witsel.

The move was inevitably tied to the possible sale of Paul Pogba, with the Turin giants believed to be seeking a fee of around £55 million for the midfielder. Talk of a summer exit for the former Manchester United player has dominated transfer columns all season, but could the Bianconeri genuinely be looking to sign Sterling?

The simple answer here is no, and the article serves to highlight the ludicrous nature of stories generated as the end of the season draws near. The report cited at the start of this column ticked a lot of boxes in that regard, listing the usual suspects of Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich as potential rivals in a bidding war for the Liverpool star.

It was far from the only one, however, with the back page of The Sun—shown below—suggesting “it could be Juve” on the same day. That story by Charlie Wyett claimed that the Bianconeri want £75 million for Pogba and are prepared to pay two thirds of that sum to sign Sterling, who has refused an improved contract from the Anfield club worth £100,000 per week.

That is more than any player at Juventus currently earns, according to this report from the Panorama website. It is the first of a number of issues with this story, with the touted transfer fee being another major stumbling block that leads to the belief the club are unlikely to be interested in signing Sterling.

Alvaro Morata is Juve’s record signing since Andrea Agnelli became president back in the summer of 2010, paying €20 million for the young Spaniard, per the club’s official website. While their progress in the Champions League this term and the benefits of Juventus Stadium ensure that the Bianconeri could perhaps break that, it is highly unlikely they would do so for a 20-year-old Englishman with fewer than 100 league appearances to his name.

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

They are far more likely to be looking for a high-calibre player who has already shone at the highest level and would complement the likes of Pogba.

The man in charge of making such decisions—director general Beppe Marotta—has spoken at length with Radio RAI about both the club’s financial strength and their intention of holding onto the talented Frenchman, telling them (h/t Football Italia):

"

Pogba is a superb champion, the best young player around and he has the attention of the top clubs. But we're not used to selling. Right now there are no grounds to put Pogba on sale.

We have an economic balance and our power is not comparable to that of other clubs, but Pogba has shown no intention of departing.

"

It is a similar story at Anfield, with Brendan Rogers insisting that Sterling is not on the market. “Raheem will not be going anywhere in the summer even if there is no deal agreed,” said the Liverpool manager, per Tim Rich of The Independent.

With neither club willing to allow their player to leave—plus La Madama’s wage structure and transfer policy—it seems the idea of Raheem Sterling to Juventus is nothing more than idle gossip.