Sterling agent slams 'breakdown in trust' at Liverpool

 

Aidy Ward hints at conflict between the 20-year-old and Brendan Rodgers, while West Brom ace Saido Berahino has decided to part company with the controversial agent

Raheem Sterling's agent, Aidy Ward, says that all trust between the winger and manager Brendan Rodgers has evaporated as he seeks to leave Liverpool this summer.

The 20-year-old has already been the subject of two failed bids from Manchester City and Goal understands that they are now preparing a third offer, worth £45 million plus add-ons.

The Merseysiders still hope to keep Sterling but may be forced to sell after the England international told Liverpool bosses that he does not want to join the squad for their upcoming pre-season tour of Australia and south-east Asia.

Not long after his threat to strike, Sterling was then absent from training on Wednesday after calling in sick and Ward's latest remarks suggest that he is unwilling to work under Rodgers any longer.

"With Raheem, there has been a breakdown in trust between him and Brendan Rodgers," said Ward, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

The 34-year-old agent has been criticised for the bullish manner in which he has tried to engineer an exit for Sterling, previously saying that not even a £900,000-a-week contract could tempt the youngster to stay.

And now another of Ward's clients, in-demand West Brom striker Saido Berahino, has parted company with the controversial agent, with reports suggesting that he had become disillusioned with the tactics employed in the Sterling transfer saga.

"I'm no longer working with Saido. You'll have to ask him for the reasons," Ward remarked.

Berahino, 21, has been linked with a host of clubs, including Newcastle and Tottenham, after an excellent campaign in which he scored 14 goals in 38 Premier League matches, as well as bagging five goals in the FA Cup.