Raheem Sterling seals switch from Liverpool to Manchester City

The forward becomes the second most expensive British player in history, behind only Gareth Bale, when the Welshman moved to Real Madrid in 2013 for £85.3m, and ends a five-year stay at Anfield.

Formerly of QPR, who will reportedly take a 20 per cent cut of the transfer fee, Sterling signed for Liverpool as a 15-year-old and has gone on to earn 16 caps for his country and score once, also featuring at last summer’s World Cup in Brazil.

Questions have been raised over such a mammoth fee which City have paid for the services of a very young star, though, who has yet to prove he is capable of regularly performing at the highest level. Sterling will be hoping to avoid following in the footsteps of many other English stars whose career’s hit a stumbling block at the Etihad, following promising moves to the Sky Blues.

#WelcomeRaheem… https://t.co/hvdcAVvdlL

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) July 14, 2015

The nature of Sterling’s departure from the club has led to much criticism from players and pundits alike, with recently departed former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard having confessed his utter disappointment in his ex-teammate.

“I’m not happy with all that carry-on,” stated Gerrard. “You don’t have to throw in illness, or refuse to go on tour. There are millions of Liverpool fans waiting to see Raheem pull on a Liverpool shirt. It looks very disappointing from where I’m sitting. The fans have shown him great support.”

Although, Sterling will now have the chance to properly compete for silverware with his new employers, and they are 12/5 with Coral to lift the Premier League crown next season.