Sterling Contract Negotiations Rumoured to be Postponed Until Summer

It's generally assumed that a player's future with a club is in the gravest of danger until he puts pen to paper to extend his contract, at which point his future looks like it was never in doubt. Raheem Sterling has been doing a deplorable lack of leaning on things or signing blank sheets of paper for photographers, and it has justifiably put many into a state of perpetual fear over whether or not Liverpool will be able to secure his services for the long term.

It won't reassure anyone, then, that a rumour popping up late Friday evening had Liverpool and Sterling's representatives coming to an impasse in the negotiations so extreme that the club are shelving talks until the end of the season. Past rumours have put the club and player at odds over what his worth was as measured by weekly wages, with the club valuing the young forward at £90K/week despite his agent hoping for something closer to £120K/week.

Friday's rumour widens the wage discrepancy even more, with Sterling's reps allegedly seeking compensation on par with Daniel Sturridge's £140K/week than the £90K/week Liverpool are still offering. That the gap between the two sides is getting bigger rather than smaller the longer the talks drag on is concerning, and perhaps it is best for a cooling off period until the summer.

Of course, the rumours have largely stemmed from a handful of the least reputable news sources in England, culminating in the Paper That Will Not Be Named™ combining the Sterling contract negotiations with a renewal of Bayern Munich's interest, presumably because — coincidentally! — Arjen Robben has picked up an injury from his mid-week Champions League exploits.

While it's certainly a believable rumour given how talks have been progressing thus far, it's not exactly a credible one at this point. Liverpool fans may want to take a deep breath and count to ten before investing much energy in this latest update, at least until sources closer to the club begin reporting on it.