Raheem Sterling refuses to rule out Anfield return: “I love Liverpool”

Raheem Sterling

The England international made his breakthrough with the Reds while in his teens, but left on bad terms in 2015.

His £49 million switch to the Etihad ended a bitter saga that began with Sterling’s refusal to sign a new contract, which drew criticism from then-Reds boss Brendan Rodgers and former club greats like Jamie Carragher.

The forward has flourished under Pep Guardiola at City, but remains the target of boos from Liverpool fans whenever he plays at Anfield.

And speaking in a live Q&A hosted on the Instagram account of his representatives Colossal Sports Management, Sterling was asked directly if he would ever go back to Liverpool.

“To be honest with you, I love Liverpool,” said the 25-year-old.

"Don't get it twisted, they are always in my heart, do you know what I mean?

"It's a team that (has) done a lot for me growing up."

Sterling scored 20 goals in 39 appearances this season before football across Europe ground to a halt because of the coronavirus.

In total, the winger has made 230 appearances for the Citizens in almost five years at the club, netting 89 goals.

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.