Online betting site Skybet have backed Manchester City into odds on favourite (5/6) to sign Raheem Sterling in the summer. The 20 year old is priced up at a 2/1 to remain at Liverpool, with Chelsea and Arsenal both trading at 5/1 with the bookmaker to capture the signature of the England forward.
Sterling and his representatives apparently told Liverpool on Monday that he had no intention of signing a new deal with the Anfield club when he sits down for contract talks on Friday. While fans may look at this is something of a greedy move by Sterling, with former Liverpool man Phil Thompson saying that he believes Sterling is stonewalling because of asking for a hefty new salary.
But it could of course be down to ambition. Liverpool failed to break into the UEFA Champions League for next season and with three of the top four clubs having their names in the hat to sign Sterling, then the youngster is likely to stand a bigger chance of winning silverware with a move to somewhere like Man City or Chelsea. In the current standing of things, that is just fact.
Sky Bet’s Chris Spicer said: “We’re starting to see a lot of interest on the Transfer Specials now, with some big deals being backed to happen this summer.
“We typically see quite balanced betting on these markets with some shrewder punters getting less carried away by the speculation, but all the money has been on Sterling to switch clubs when the transfer window opens.”
