Kolo Toure urges Raheem Sterling to stay at Liverpool

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Ivorian wants youngster to reject his former clubs Manchester City and Arsenal…

Veteran centre-back Kolo Toure has told teammate Raheem Sterling that he should stay at Liverpool and sign a new contract with us, reports the Echo.

As we know, Sterling has rejected a £100k-per-week extension offer, and gave a controversial interview with the BBC that has led to multiple rumours of a potential departure – although Brendan Rodgers has promised he will not be sold in the summer (via BBC Sport).

Toure has watched Sterling’s development since arriving at the club in 2013 however, and believes that our club is the very best place for him to maximise his otherworldly potential – despite the lure of various European behemoths.

“This boy is a fantastic player,” Toure began.

“I’m not surprised there’s speculation because everybody would want to have a player like him.

“But he needs to stay here. Liverpool is a great place for him.

“This is a massive club and he has a manager who believes in him. There’s a lot more to come from Raheem and he needs to be in an environment where he can really express himself.

“I hope he signs. This is a club where he can really enjoy his football and where people will give him responsibility.”

The Ivorian defender also reckons that Sterling should think twice before asking to leave, because he won;t be guaranteed the first-team football he is here. At Real Madrid, Chelsea or PSG for example – the 20-year-old would likely start from the bench, which would surely only be counterproductive for his development.

“This is definitely the best place for him to continue his development. At Liverpool, he’s beginning to be one of the most important players. He’s playing every week,” he continued.

“If he went to another club there would be big challenges he would face. He wouldn’t be the most important player.”

Both Toure and Sterling could play key roles in the crunch Premier League fixture versus Arsenal on Saturday lunchtime…

Toure could start in our three-man defence due to Martin Skrtel’s untimely suspension, while Sterling’s been ruled fit (via the Echo) despite withdrawing from the international break with England early…

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