Raheem Sterling Agrees New Long-Term Deal

After weeks of expectation and deleted Tweets and eighteenth birthdays and an endless stream of updates from Brendan Rodgers with the Liverpool manager seeking to reassure everybody that, yes, Raheem Sterling was going to sign a new contract any day now, it appears safe to finally say once and for all that Raheem Sterling is going to sign a new deal any day now.

In fact, by all reports Sterling has already agreed a deal that will see the young winger tied down at Anfield for the next five years. With a little luck, it might even end talk of Chelsea and Manchester City interest in the young winger for the next few months. While details of Sterling's new deal are not yet known, it is expected that the contract will be heavily incentivised, with bonuses and an increasing base fee based upon his ability to achieve various appearance and performance benchmarks.

If true, not only is it good news for the club that they have likely secured their brightest prospect for the foreseeable future, but for fans it will be encouraging to see a player whose contract is built around the idea of rewarding him for delivering actual results rather than for simply showing up to practice.

So far this season, Sterling has appeared in 16 of Liverpool's 17 league games while making nine further appearances in the domestic and European cup competitions. He has scored one goal and registered two assists. The club is expected to officially announce his new contract within the next 48 hours.