"There aren't many players in the world that could improve Real Madrid's first team, so it makes sense to closely monitor the progress of one of the best young players in the world", Zidane explained, who also said: "We followed Bale for over a year and the same can also be said for Isco and Varane. We keep an eye on the best young players in Europe, and if they have something to offer Real Madrid then we contact their club and try to take the next step".
Last week, Sterling, who is 20 years old and has a contract with Liverpool until June 2017, admitted that he turned down a chance to improve and extend his contract with the club. However, Liverpool's manager,Brendan Rodgers, has insisted that the forward is not for sale: "The only thing I will say is that he has two-and-a-half years left. He won't be going anywhere in the summer. That's for sure".
"The Brodge" also discussed how his young star is developing: "The concentration, like I said a few weeks back, certainly for me is to purely focus on his football and help him continue with his development at a place where he has made great strides over the last couple of years. For me, that is the only concentration over these remaining games through to the end of the season. I said last time we sat down, that was the intention of the player and his representatives and also the club".
