Zinedine Zidane says Real Madrid are monitoring the progress of Raheem Sterling's stalled contract talks with Liverpool.
Sterling has rejected what manager -- believed to be £100,000-a-week -- as the club look to tie down one of their prize assets.
The England international then in an unsanctioned interview that no amount of money would persuade him to sign a new deal before the summer.
The public discussions have caught the attention of Real Madrid and Zidane, the former star attacker who now manages the European champions' Castilla B-team.
Zidane, also Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid boss, put Sterling in the same company as Gareth Bale, Isco and Raphael Varane, who all made big-money moves to the Bernabeu in recent years.
"We know who Raheem Sterling is, and of course we are monitoring him as a player," Zidane said, according to the .
"There are very few players in the world who can improve the Real Madrid squad, so it is going to make sense we monitor the progress of the best young players in the world."
"We monitored Bale for over a year, the same with Isco and also Varane.
"We monitor many of the best young players in Europe, then if we feel they have something to offer Real Madrid we will contact their club and try and make the next step."
Sterling has two years left on his current bargain deal at Anfield, so any move for the 20-year-old would likely involve a hefty transfer fee to entice Liverpool to sell.
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