Rodgers: Sterling going nowhere

Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling will not be
leaving the club in the summer despite a
breakdown in talks over a new deal, says manager
Brendan Rodgers.
The 20-year-old told BBC Sport he is motivated by
trophies not money after rejecting a £100,000-a-
week contract.
"Liverpool are one of the superpowers of football
and if the owners don't want to sell, they don't have
to," said Rodgers.
Sterling has two years left on a contract worth
£35,000 a week.
Rodgers added: "Concentration should be on his
football. If his ambition is to win trophies that's
aligned with what we do here."
The Liverpool boss added that the club had not
given him permission to speak to BBC Sport and
that he thought it was a "mistake" to carry out the
interview.
"There was no permission from us," he said. "He
will learn. We all make mistakes in life, especially
when we are young.
"I think the kid has tried to put off all talk about
contract and money. For now hopefully the focus
will be on football."
Sterling, who joined the Reds from QPR in 2010,
says he will not discuss a new contract with the
Reds until the summer.
"I just want to take the time to think about what I've
achieved in my career so far, where I need to go
and what I need to do to get better as a player," he
said.
Newspaper reports have linked him with moves to
Manchester City, Arsenal, Real Madrid and
Bayern Munich.
But Rodgers said that he and Sterling were "relaxed
about the situation".
"This is one of the great clubs of the footballing
world and, for Raheem, to be playing here it's an
honour," added Rodgers. "He understands that, he
sees that."
Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson, who
won five league titles and a European Cup with the
club, said Sterling is not yet good enough for the top
clubs in Europe.
"He's 20 and not going to Real Madrid or Barcelona
or Paris St-Germain," Lawrenson told BBC Sport.
"He's not at that level and he has a lot of work to
do."