Manchester City are preparing to pay Raheem Sterling an eye-watering £450,000 a week to keep him out of the clutches of Real Madrid, reports Express.
The Sp anish giants are keeping tabs on Sterling, who has been transformed into one of the best players in the world by Pep Guardiola.
It was only last November that the Premier League champions handed Sterling a three-year extension to his current deal which now sees him pick up around £300,000 a week.
It made him Manchester City’s second-highest-paid player behind midfield playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, who currently earns around £350,000 a week.
And they are now ready to make the England international the Premier League’s top earner to cut down on the likelihood of a £200million move by Real from succeeding.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has a penchant for big-money buys as he looks to build a team of so-called Galacticos at the Bernabeu.