Sterling said in a BBC interview last week that his decision to delay talks was “not about money” despite his agent requesting a weekly salary of £150,000 earlier this season. Liverpool supporters have been unsympathetic to his claims that the delay is about his desire to compete for trophies, especially as the club have an FA Cup semi-final to look forward to and, at the time, were preparing for a crucial fixture at Arsenal in the hunt for a Champions League place, which they subsequently lost.