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Bayern Munich to scout Raheem Sterling in Liverpool's Sunday showdown with Manchester United
EXCLUSIVE | By Liverpool correspondent Cam Downes
Bayern Munich will send scouts to watch Raheem Sterling in Liverpool’s lunchtime Premier League clash against Manchester United on Sunday.
Football Insider sources have learned that the German giants have identified the England international, 20, as a concrete summer target.
Bayern have watched Sterling closely in recent months and have been instructed to assess the versatile forward in Sunday lunchtime’s fixture against rivals Manchester United at Anfield.
Manager Pep Guardiola is believed to be a big admirer of Sterling’s ability and potential.
The Bundesliga club will have been encouraged by confirmation from Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers on Friday that Sterling and his agent have put contract talks on hold until the end of the season as speculation about his future intensifies.
The club have been in negotiations over a new deal to replace the 20-year-old’s existing contract – which expires in the summer of 2017 – for several months but have failed to reach an agreement.
Rodgers has previously said the Merseysiders have offered the player an “incredible” offer but after further talks this week failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion the saga has been postponed until the end of the season.
Asked whether there was likely to be a solution soon, Rodgers said: “Not between now and the end of the season. It has been made clear by Raheem’s representative and the boy himself he just wants to concentrate on his football and see what can be resolved in the summer.”
Sterling’s form over the past two seasons has caught the eyes of scouts from Europe’s leading clubs, with Bayern, Barcelona and Real Madrid joining the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea in closely monitoring him.
Bayern have been impressed by Sterling’s mobility, technical quality, potential and ability in enhance the team in a variety of positions, including striker, attacking midfield and wing-back.
The youngster, who joined Liverpool from QPR in February 2010, is regarded as a £50million asset by the Merseyside club.