Manchester City news: Raheem Sterling admits he left Liverpool because he wanted to win the Premier League

What's the story?

Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling has admitted that his desire to win the Premier League title was the reason behind his departure from Liverpool.

In case you didn't know

Sterling said farewell to Anfield and moved to the Etihad in 2015 in a £49 million deal that made him the most expensive English player in history.

The decision saw him receiving heavy criticism from the Reds brigade, especially after he turned down a massive offer from the Merseyside outfit

It did not take long for the winger to justify his transfer as he went on to win two back-to-back Premier League titles with Manchester City. Last season, the 24-year-old tallied 25 goals and 18 assists for the club in all competitions, helping them to complete an unprecedented domestic treble with an FA Cup and a Carabao Cup win.

The former Liverpool star's exploits under Pep Guardiola last campaign earned him the PFA Young Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards, together with a place in the PFA Team of the Year.

The heart of the matter

Sterling has now revealed why he departed Anfield citing his desire to win the Premier League as the primary reason.

Speaking in an interview with GQ Magazine, he said (via Mirror Football), "When I got into Liverpool I said if I haven’t won the Premier League by the time I’m 21 I need to look at my options and see what I’m doing there."

"I put that into place from a young age. And I came to City and won my first Premier League. It’s just good to know what I’ve set out to do - what we’ve set out as a team to do - is going as planned."

"There was a point when I left Liverpool I actually thought, “Why should this little black kid have this money? That’s at one point how I felt, the stories that were coming out...Why should he?"

What's next?

Manchester City will return to action when they face West Ham in the Premier League Asia Trophy on July 17.