Brendan Rodgers confirms Raheem Sterling transfer to Manchester City, rejects conflict talk

Sterling will have a medical at City ahead of a £49 million switch to the Etihad, making him the second most expensive British player in history after Gareth Bale.

[IN DETAIL: Raheem Sterling's £49m move in numbers]

However, Rodgers denied there was a problem between him and Sterling, insisting their relationship was “very strong”.

“The situation currently is simple,” Rodgers told a press conference. “The club has agreed with another club a deal for Raheem to be transferred. Subject to a medical that will go through.

“Contrary to the last week or so, in terms of what was written, Raheem and I have always remained very strong in our relationship, and have been up until he left. There's no issue there.”

City have been linked with a move for Sterling ever since his contract talks stalled, and then ended, with Liverpool.

Early bids of £25m and £35m, both with add-ons, were rejected as Liverpool tried to hold out for their £50m valuation.

Talks resurfaced last week as the offer crept closer to that figure, with the sides finally reaching an agreement on Sunday.

[STORY: Sterling's £49m price tag: madness or sound value?]

But Rodgers would not be drawn on how the new funds would be spent as speculation increases about a move for Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke.

"It's something I don't really want to go into in a press conference," he added.

"I spent a lot of last season talking about transfers and I don't intend to do that this year."

While the relationship clearly wasn’t “very strong”, as Rodgers would have us believe, too much has been made of the player-manager conflict. Rodgers isn’t the only reason behind his star pupil’s departure, even if he was vocal in how the youngster had dealt with the saga.

Sterling wants to win trophies. Rightly or wrongly, he’s decided he can’t do that at Liverpool. Whether City is the best place for his development is unclear – results will be expected immediately from a £49m signing – but this decision is more than just a clash of personalities. City are playing Champions League football; Liverpool have slipped back into the Europa League. City won their last Premier League title in 2013/14; Liverpool have never won it, despite coming so close that same season.

Yes, the speculation could have been handled better – by both parties – but a dispute is unlikely to be the sole reason for Sterling's exit.