Liverpool and Manchester City agree £49m deal for Raheem Sterling

Liverpool have accepted a £49m offer from Manchester City for Raheem Sterling.

BBC Sport report Manuel Pellegrini's side have finally made ground in their efforts to sign the 20-year-old having seen two bids rejected in June.

Sterling will reportedly complete his move to the Etihad Stadium subject of contract negotiations and a medical.

The development follows Liverpool's decision to withdraw Sterling's name from their 30-man squad travelling to Australia and the Far East for their preseason tour.

The England international also missed training on Wednesday and Thursday due to illness.

The relationship between Sterling and Liverpool has deteriorated rapidly in 2015 following his refusal to sign a new deal.

An interview with the BBC in April without Liverpool's permission further strained the relationship.

Sterling's agent Aidy Ward recently claimed there was no longer any trust between his client and Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, insisting there was no longer any chance of a new contract being signed in an interview with the Daily Mail.

Sterling's efforts to find a way out of the club attracted criticism from a number of former players, including Steven Gerrard, who left the club to sign for LA Galaxy at the end of the 2014-15 season.

I'm not happy with all that carry-on. He needs to go in and see the owners," Gerrard told BBC Sport.

"You don't have to throw in illness, or refuse to go on tour. There are millions of Liverpool fans waiting to see Raheem pull on a Liverpool shirt.

"It looks very disappointing from where I'm sitting. The fans have shown him great support, they want him to stay and I believe that he should too."

"It's very difficult for me to sit here and support him and the team around him - what they're trying to do with his career at a young age.

"It'll be a terrible shame if he goes somewhere and doesn't kick on as a player."