Raheem Sterling Could Be Reunited With Brendan Rodgers Years After Training Ground Row

Raheem Sterling could be reunited with Brendan Rodgers, more than a decade after the pair were involved in a heated training ground altercation that was caught on camera.

He was expected to leave in the summer window, with Juventus or Bayer Leverkusen reportedly keen on a move, but after months of speculation surrounding his future, Sterling is still a Chelsea player.

As a result, his options are limited as he continues to train away from Enzo Maresca's first-team squad.

Only a handful of transfer windows are still open for business, including Saudi Arabia, but earlier this week, the former England international appeared to be handed a lifeline by a former manager.

A report from Football Transfers suggests Brendan Rodgers is eyeing up a potential reunion with Sterling at Scottish Premiership side Celtic.

Raheem Sterling on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/RQjWQYdMuT

— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) September 15, 2025

The move would be a loan, and Celtic are willing to contribute around £50,000 per week towards Sterling’s salary, according to the report. The winger currently earns £325,000 per week at Stamford Bridge.

Sterling's relationship with Rodgers got off to a rocky start

Back in 2012, at the end of a pre-season training session in the United States, then-Liverpool boss Rodgers gave Sterling a dressing down after the latter appeared to answer back when his manager told him to "stay on your feet" and "use your brain".

Rodgers thought Sterling had said "steady" in response to his on-field instructions – something the young winger strongly disagreed with.

As you can see in the footage below, the former Liverpool manager says: "This is for the young players and I need you to pay attention" before ripping into a confused Sterling.

Rodgers continues, saying: "Your attitude needs to improve in your work, OK? You (Sterling) say 'steady' to me again when I say something to you and you'll be on the first plane back."

In the clip, Sterling strongly denies saying the word before Rodgers quickly snaps back. "You know what you said, I know what you said."

The situation escalated further when the manager continued to make his point, although two former Liverpool academy players have previously opened up about what really happened during the clash.

Ryan McLaughlin and Adam Morgan were part of that pre-season training session in the United States.

"That was Brendan stamping his authority. He didn't want any young players getting too big for their boots," McLaughlin told The Athletic.

"He didn't want us having fancy cars or designer washbags. He would always tell us: 'Just because you're training with Liverpool, it doesn't mean you play for Liverpool'.

“Raheem was already a big name and everyone knew he was destined for great things. Brendan thought Raheem answered him back and didn’t want to be seen as a pushover. I don’t think he needed to do that to get our respect as he had it already.

“It maybe gave some people the wrong impression about Raheem because he’s such a nice fella, so down to earth. Raheem was adamant he had said ‘he stepped on my toe’ after feeling like he should have had a free-kick, but Brendan heard it as him saying ‘steady’.

“If you got the better of a senior player in those sessions they would look to put you in your place. Raheem used to get kicked a lot because he was so quick. It was only when training stopped that day that we realised there was an issue.”

McLaughlin added: “I think Brendan knew that this kid was going to be an unbelievable player and wanted to make an example of him. He wanted to give him a kick up the backside.

“It was a warning to all of us youngsters. Training alongside him every day, I thought Raheem’s attitude was always first class. The way he responded to that was brilliant.”