Manchester City are refusing to blink over Raheem Sterling’s contract demands – increasing fears the England winger will leave next summer.

Sunday Mirror Sport revealed in August that the Blues were unwilling to give Sterling £300,000-a-week, the same as top earners like Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero.

But the 23-year-old has less than two years remaining on his deal and City are aware that his £100million value will tumble if they fail to convince him to sign a new agreement.

Sterling currently earns £175,000-a-week and City have offered to increase that to £200,000 with a package of lucrative success-related bonuses and yearly increases.

So far they have been unable to broker an agreement – and the clock is now ticking.

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City’s stance has not been altered by reports Sterling is wanted by Real Madrid and Barcelona, believing that the Spanish giants have other priorities.

But they are aware the winger will become a wanted man if he is available at a bargain price due to the contract stand-off.

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Sterling has long harboured ambitions about playing abroad, with La Liga his preferred destination.

Last December, when he agreed to conduct an interview with Sky Sports, he spoke about his desire to experience life in Spain – and City asked for his words to be cut from the final edit.

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The attacker has developed into one of Pep Guardiola’s most consistent and lethal attackers since arriving from Liverpool in the summer of 2015 and feels he deserves a deal that reflects his standing at the club.

His advisers are also aware that City would have to spend a fortune in the transfer market to replace a player who scored 23 goals last season, many of them crucial.

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However, both De Bruyne and Aguero are now in the peak seasons of their career.

And City fear that handing Sterling similar terms would cause them problems when they are negotiating contracts and transfers with other players.