Wednesday 15 July 2015

Manchester City confirm £49 million Raheem Sterling signing


Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Raheem Sterling from Liverpool for £49 million.

The club announced the transfer, following months of speculation over a deal.

The forward, who will earn £180,000 a week in wages, joins on a five-year contract after the Liverpool squad left for their pre-season tour of Thailand. 

Liverpool finally accepted the offer for the player over the weekend after Sterling had made no secret of his desire to leave. The 20-year-old, who is the most valuable English player in history, can now join City’s tour of Australia. 

"It's a good feeling and this is really happy time for me and my family," Sterling told the club's official website, www.mcfc.co.uk. 

"I'm just glad it's all over and done with and I can't wait to get on the training field. 

"The thing that excites me the most is the world-class squad we have and knowing we have a team that is capable of winning things year in, year out. 

"The more quality players that are around you, the more quality it brings out in you so I can't wait to get started and play alongside them."

Manager Manuel Pellegrini said: "Raheem Sterling is one of the best attacking players in world football, and I am very much looking forward to him joining our squad out in Australia later this week. 

"He is a young player with outstanding ability, and I am sure the Manchester City fans will be very excited about seeing him in action for the team." 

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insisted there were no hard feelings between himself and Sterling. Speaking at a press conference in Bangkok, the Northern Irishman said: "I spoke to Raheem at length again before I left (on Sunday), so there is no issue and no problem."

Sterling had reportedly asked Rodgers not to include him in the tour party and, when City tabled their improved bid on Sunday, Liverpool accepted the deal was done.

It will bring to an end an acrimonious six-month saga which began when Sterling rejected what Rodgers described as an "incredible" new contract offer in February.

Sterling went on to explain in an unsanctioned BBC interview why he had rejected the deal, before his agent Aidy Ward claimed the player would not sign a new deal, even for "£900,000 a week".

Merseyside Police confirmed on Monday evening that they were investigating Twitter threats made towards Sterling and his three-year-old daughter after news of his imminent switch was announced.

"The language used in these tweets is abhorrent," a Merseyside Police spokesman said in the Liverpool Echo.

"We are taking the incident extremely seriously and an investigation by detectives in Liverpool CID is ongoing.

"People who use the internet to target others and who commit criminal offences such as harassment or hate crime in doing so are not beyond the law and can expect to be brought to justice."

- Source: Eurosport 

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