Raheem Sterling Might Quit Manchester City Over Salary Clash

The transfer window for all of Europe's big five leagues is closed, but that doesn't stop Transfer Talk from rummaging around about who will be moving where come January.

Manchester City is at a “standstill” in their contract talks with forward Raheem Sterling, the Guardian reports. Next summer, the England international will move into the final season of the five-year contract he signed when he arrived at City from Liverpool in 2015.

And the source says that “because it is thought there is no option for an extra 12 months, his value will markedly decrease unless an agreement can be reached before July.”

The same source claims that Sterling “wants to become one of City's best-paid players, with a rise to a basic wage of £220,000 a week at least, but there is some distance between the club and the 23-year-old regarding his worth and talks have stalled.”

A failure to agree on new terms would mean the likelihood that Sterling, reported to be valued in the region of £60 million, may possibly move for much less than that.

It was reported in August that Real Madrid could make a move for Sterling (whom they were linked with during his Liverpool days and have reportedly monitored again this season) next summer.