The 20-year-old England international has told Anfield boss Brendan Rodgers he wants to leave the club, with deposed champions City and new Prem kings Chelsea potential destinations.
But when Sterling - BOOED by fans as he collected the Reds' Young Player of the Year award on Tuesday night - holds crunch talks with the club this week he will be told they won’t sell him this summer.
Liverpool’s American chairman Tom Werner and principal owner John W Henry will send a message they are prepared to play hard-ball with the player, just as they did with Luis Suarez two years ago.
The Reds' top brass, though, are in no mood to get drawn into a war of words with the player and his representatives - because they want Sterling to be part of a bright future for their club.
Instead, they will offer a message of appeasement to the hugely-promising forward, and explain they see him as central to their plans to become a Premier League force over the coming years.
City are expected to offer Sterling £150,000 a week if they can break Liverpool’s resolve on a player who has two years remaining on his current deal.
The Anfield club have offered £90,000-a-week but Sterling’s representatives have complained privately they feel the club's hierarchy have gone on the offensive in the vacuum created by a failure to agree a deal, and that has turned the fans against their client.
But the owners, along with boss Rodgers, will make clear they want the opposite of that for Sterling – to make him a key figure the fans can worship.
It will be explained in the meeting that Liverpool pulled out of a deal to sign PSV Eindhoven wide-man Memphis Depay - who's off to Manchester United instead - for £25m because they want Sterling to stay, and didn’t feel they needed a rival player at his same position.
They will also detail plans to sign a top-class striker to provide a focal point for his exciting attacking talents and form a similarly-deadly partnership to the one he enjoyed with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge last season.
Werner and Henry are in no mood to compromise though and remain steadfast in their belief that, with still more than two years left on his contract, there is absolutely no need to rush into any decision on Sterling.
They did exactly the same with Suarez, who had two years left on his deal when he tried to force a £40m move to Arsenal.
Eventually, Henry and Werner put down that rebellion, and the Uruguayan striker actually signed a new deal, before eventually moving on to Barcelona last summer.
They hope to do the same with Sterling. But even if he refuses to sign what's being offered at Anfield, they will wait until next summer before looking at selling him.
The only thing that will change their stance, is an eye-opening offer for the player.
Sources within Anfield suggest a figure beyond £50m would be required to even persuade them to open a dialogue over any sale... and they are confident no club will be prepared to meet that valuation.
Liverpool know nothing will be resolved at this week’s meeting, but want to reassure Sterling of their backing - and their desire to see him stay at the club.
Source: mirro
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