Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has said that forward Raheem Sterling will not be leaving Anfield this summer despite the breakdown in talks over a new deal.

The 20-year-old currently has two years left on his contract at Liverpool and has been linked with a move to the likes of; Manchester City, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Rodgers said: "Liverpool are one of the superpowers of football and if the owners don't want to sell, they don't have to,

"Concentration should be on his football. If his ambition is to win trophies that's aligned with what we do here."

Sterling who joined from QPR in 2010 said in an interview with BBC this week that he wouldn’t discuss a new contract with the Reds until the summer and confirmed he turned down a new £100,000-a-week contract.

Sterling said: "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.”

Rodgers also said that the club had not given Sterling permission to speak to BBC Sport and thought it was a “mistake” to carry out the interview.

Rodgers added: "There was no permission from us,

“He will learn. We all make mistakes in life, especially when we are young.” 

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Danial  Kennedy
Award-winning sports journalism graduate. Currently studying a PR Masters at the University of Sunderland. Writing for VAVEL since August 2014. Twitter - @ddkjournalism.