As confirmed by BBC Sport this afternoon, England international Raheem Sterling has completed a £49million move to Manchester City after completing a medical earlier today.
The 20 year-old had been expected to leave former club Liverpool for some time following a lengthy contract dispute with the Merseyside club.
In April, he revealed he’d turned down a contract extension worth over £100k per-week during an interview with the BBC, whilst agent Aidy Ward claimed a month later that Sterling wouldn’t be interested in signing past the end of next season even for nine times that amount. .
The Citizens had already launched a series of bids for the 2014 Golden Boy award winner this summer, but the Anfield outfit remained adamant they’d only sell if their £50million valuation was met in full.
And after protracted negotiations, it appears Liverpool have surrendered at around £1million short of their asking price. City will pay an initial fee of £44million, but the figure will rise to £49million upon the activation of added clauses.
Sterling is now the second-most expensive Brit in the history of football, after Real Madrid’s world-record transfer holder Gareth Bale, and the third-most expensive signing in the history of the Premier League after Angel Di Maria and Fernando Torres.