Raheem Sterling

Liverpool striker Raheem Sterling could quit the club this summer, with his mum keen for him to move back to London.

Tottenham are monitoring the 17-year-old’s progress, whose frustration at a lack of senior action has been well-documented.

Now, Sterling’s mother Nadine is ready to force the issue by pushing for a return south to Harlesden in north London.

The England Under-18 forward, who can also play on the wing, currently lives in Walton with his mum, two-year-old brother and 10-year-old sister.

But his mother fears he is not making progress at Anfield as other youngsters are being integrated into first teams at other clubs.

A string of defensively minded youngsters, including Jon Flanagan, Martin Kelly, Jack Robinson and Jay Spearing, have made it into the Liverpool first team in recent years.

But no young striker has come through to play in Liverpool’s first team since Neil Mellor in the 2002-03 season and Michael Owen in 1997.

Sterling is widely seen as the best young prospect at Liverpool and hit a superb goal against an experienced Arsenal this week in a 1-1 draw for the reserves.

And Liverpool have refused to accept loan bids for him from a string of clubs, including Bolton, Swansea, West Ham and both Sheffield clubs.

we should be trying him in league games now to see if he up to it.

Just hope we don't go all Pacheco on him and keep piling the pressure

Didn't see his mum in the paper giving out about him getting 2 birds up the duff. Keep out of football matters and look after your son you binlid

BREAKING NEWS: STERLING AGREES NEW FIVE YEAR CONTRACT WITH LFC

According to the BBC Sport, Raheem Sterling has reached an agreement in principle with Liverpool over a new contract.

The 18-year-old is expected to sign the five-year deal before Christmas.

Sterling, who is currently on a £2,000-per week youth contract, will see his earnings initially jump to around £30,000 per week.

30 grand, Christ

Glad it's done and dusted tho if true

Raheem Sterling interview: Mum's my Mourinho.. and Steven Gerrard is my Yoda

The Liverpool and England teenager on his meteoric rise to fame, THAT documentary clip, the rumours about his love life and more

Raheem Sterling is the teenager with the football world at his feet - and his own Special One to keep him on the road to the top.

Sterling, 18, likens his mum Nadine to Jose Mourinho, and says she has been his guidance in a remarkable journey from hardship to becoming one of the Premier League’s most exciting youngsters.

Liverpool sensation Sterling was born in Jamaica, survived the mean streets of one of London’s toughest council estates, was kicked from pillar to post on the pitch and yet got his first senior England call-up last year.

It would be easy to get swept along by the rapid rise.

But Sterling is softly spoken, incredibly polite and says his trusted network of family, friends and girlfriend Shana Halliday will always keep him grounded.

“My Mum rules my life - she’s a nightmare at times, but I love her and she’s the main person in my life,” smiled Sterling. “She has got a very strong personality and thinks she’s the boss!

“When I get home from training, she’s there, in my face. She’s there 24/7. I don’t know where she gets her knowledge from. At first she wouldn’t come to the games, but then she saw how much I liked it and really got into it.

"Now she thinks she’s Jose Mourinho!

“Some of the stuff she’s telling me, the manager is telling me as well. She really knows about the game and how to play, what to do.

“She tells me where I could have done better, if I miss a chance then that’s it - I’m done. She gives me no sympathy if I’ve had a bad game. But she tries to be constructive with her criticism, not to put me down. She’s been great for me.

“I’ve got good people around me. My family have all moved up to Liverpool to be with me.

"My agents, Rob Segal and Aidy Ward at Impact Sports Management, look after me. Aidy is getting into my head to do more - do more on the pitch - and also how to behave off it.

“I’ve always been a grounded kid and always will be. I will never forget what I’ve been through, difficult times with my mum and my family. It has been tough at times but it makes you appreciate what you have now.”

Sterling’s tough times began in Maverley, one of the hardest areas of Kingston, Jamaica.

His mum moved to London to find work and a way out, before sending for her four children.

Sterling left Maverley when he was just five and says he only has flashback memories of his early life in Jamaica.

His life in England was difficult as he moved regularly before the family settled on the St Raphael’s estate in north-west London - which ironically is in the shadow of Wembley Stadium.

It was a tricky start and Sterling went to Vernon House, a school for kids with educational needs, for three years.

It was there that he began to concentrate on his schoolwork and, at the age of 10, he took up football seriously.

“It was more for my concentration. It helped my development and growth as a person,” said Sterling. “I would either be kicking off about football or about something to do with sport. That would mean I wouldn’t really concentrate in school and it held me back.”

Sterling was spotted by QPR and joined them as an 11-year-old, amid interest from Arsenal, West Ham and Fulham.

He is just 5ft 7in tall, and can probably put his football nous down to having to play against bigger kids.

“You have to think ahead of your opponent because they’re bigger or stronger,” he said. “My manager was Steve Gallen. Whatever team he managed, he brought me into that team. Even if he was in charge of the under-18s and I was 14, he’d play me.”

That probably explains why he has always been ahead of the curve.

Sterling joined Liverpool at 15 in a £500,000 deal, and became the club’s second youngest player ever at 17 years and 107 days.

It is this season that has really seen him kick on under new manager Brendan Rodgers.

Sterling is glowing about the influence of Rodgers, and of players such Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Luis Suarez.

Sterling notoriously featured in the Being: Liverpool documentary series, which showed him getting a telling off from Rodgers for apparently saying something behind the manager's back in training.

He insists that he has nothing but respect for Rodgers.

“Going to Liverpool, being away from my family at such a young age was really tough,” said Sterling. “But it’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my career. The manager is great with young players because he believes if you’re good enough then you’re old enough.

“He took a few of us on the trip to the States. He thought I said something, which I didn’t, and we’ve got it cleared up.

"I got a lot of stick on Twitter from fans. You can’t change what people think about you. But I’m not big-headed, I’m not flash or anything like that.”

Internet searches on Sterling bring up false stories about how many children he has fathered.

He has one daughter, Melody Rose, born seven months ago after a brief relationship.

Sterling added: “Some of the stuff you see is unbelievable. I’ve read stuff that I’ve got five kids and another on the way. It’s just crazy and it’s completely wrong.

“I find it funny to even think about it. If you bite at it, rise to the bait, then it makes it worse.

"I just laugh it off about some of the stuff that people say.

“But I’ve got no regrets. It’s a difficult thing for me. I want to concentrate on my football because I’m so young. It’s probably taught me to be more professional in how I go about living my life now. That’s really important for me.”

'If people foul me, Gerrard fouls them back'