£300,000-rated Man City star opens talks over new deal amid Real Madrid links
Manchester City have reportedly entered talks with Raheem Sterling over a new contract, set to increase his £300,000-a-week wages.
The England forward only last year signed a new deal that tied him down until 2023.
But Sterling’s form in 2019 – that has seen him bag 53 goals and assists, more than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – has attracted attention from Real Madrid.
And City chiefs have acted fast, according to The Mirror, who report the Premier League champions have started negotiations to extend the 24-year-old’s Etihad deal.
Sterling is the third highest-paid player in the league, behind only Mesut Ozil and David De Gea, after the City star’s latest extension took him past United’s Paul Pogba.
The only man with more goals in Europe than Sterling this season is Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski who has an incredible 33 goals and two assists.
Sterling’s form comes on the back of the 31 he scored during the 2018-19 campaign — by far his best season in front of goal.
And he puts it down to maturity.
Asked how he has become more clinical in the last 18 months, Sterling, who joined City from Liverpool in 2015 for around £50million, said: “One is age.
“I was 19, 20 when I came to City and I was nowhere near the maturity level I am now.
“Another is being in a good team. And then it is down to yourself, it’s what you want to do in football.
EXCLUSIVE: Raheem Sterling opens contract talks with Man City over improving current £300k-a-week deal | @johncrossmirror https://t.co/tgvWMvGFCB pic.twitter.com/JI82mhu0Ym
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) November 20, 2019
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“Do you want to be a winger who takes ten people on and does nothing or do you want to be someone who helps win games for your team. I think it comes with maturity.
“I keep learning each day to be better at it and to be involved in the game and be effective.”