Liverpool's powerbrokers are ready to launch a charm offensive to convince Raheem Sterling to stay. The Mirror says when Sterling holds crunch talks with the club this week he will be told they won't sell him this summer.

Liverpool's American chairman Tom Werner and principal owner John W Henry will send a message they are prepared to play hard-ball with the player, just as they did with Luis Suarez two years ago.

The Reds' top brass, though, are in no mood to get drawn into a war of words with the player and his representatives - because they want Sterling to be part of a bright future for their club.

Instead, they will offer a message of appeasement to the hugely-promising forward, and explain they see him as central to their plans to become a Premier League force over the coming years.

It will be explained in the meeting that Liverpool pulled out of a deal to sign PSV Eindhoven wide-man Memphis Depay - who's off to Manchester United instead - for £25m because they want Sterling to stay, and didn't feel they needed a rival player at his same position.