Liverpool's transfer dealings indicate Sterling is on his way

Sunderland have made their first signing of the pre-season with the turning of Sebastian Coates loan into a permanent transfer. It's a good signing based in his form towards the end of the season. The next step is to add some more quality to the squad with the acquisition of a right back, another centre back, a central midfielder and a left-sided attacking midfielder or winger.

But it's the transfer dealings of Liverpool that interest me the most this Summer as they have already added six players and look determined to add Christian Benteke as well. They spent heavily with the windfall from the Luis Suarez sale last Summer and they must now have a huge squad with some pretty mediocre players taking up precious pounds on the wage bill. The next task will be to move on 8 to 12 of their under-achievers to balance the books and the squad. The likes of Fabio Borini, Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert haven't cut the mustard and there will probably be takers for them given their past records at other clubs.

But all this activity leads me to the conclusion that the biggest English deal of the transfer window has already been lined up. It's the outgoing transfer of Raheem Sterling - probably to Manchester City. City are looking to spend again and reinvest in their homegrown quotas for European competition. Having lost James Milner and Micah Richards and their academy not bringing through talent quickly enough, this is where they will have to spend big.

The days of a club selling a player and then looking for replacements with the money changed when Daniel Levy spent the Gareth Bale cash before the Bale deal was finalised and Liverpool have repeated the trick this Summer with Sterling. But Liverpool don't seem to have solved the problem that the Suarez departure left them with. A season without Suarez and Sturridge has shown the difference that goals make to a team, so a fit and firing Christian Benteke looks like their most important signing of the transfer window.

Elsewhere there hasn't been a flurry of activity with the odd signing here and there but there will be plenty of transfers to come with most bus expected to sign at least four or five players.

There's much more to come!