With rumours suggesting Raheem Sterling and Liverpool have reached an impasse over a new deal, it was a subject that was always going to come up at Brendan Rodgers' latest pre-match press conference. So, does the manager think it's an issue impacting the young Sterling? And is he worried he might end up losing the youngster?
"I don't think there's any way there's anything affecting him," insisted Rodgers. "He's the type of player who leaves his representatives to work things out with the club and hopefully get a deal done. He's not really involved in that. All I ask is that he concentrates on his football, on preparing well in training, and I think he's done that consistently."
Sterling has struggled at times with the increased workload and the added pressure that has fallen on him following the departure of Luis Suarez, but even if he hasn't hit the same highs as last season, he has been one of the brightest spots in a so far difficult season. As such, the club are believed to have offered him a new, £70-75k per week contract.
His agent, though, is pushing for something closer to £100k, and there has been speculation in some quarters that the club's reluctance to meet those demands is resulting in leaked stories about imminent interest from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. In part because, as good as Sterling is, he's not Real Madrid or Bayern Munich good quite yet.
"I'll never be surprised teams are linked because he's such a talent," said Rodgers. "He just turned 20, he's a wonderful young player but he's also a very mature young man, so I'm quite relaxed about it. The club I'm sure will work very hard. He's happy and loves being a Liverpool player, so I'm sure that between them and his representatives we can get a deal done."