Raheem Sterling's future will come down to a choice between cash and development, says former England striker Matt Le Tissier.

Le Tissier, who spent his entire club career at Southampton, said Liverpool was "probably the best place" for Sterling if he was looking to develop as a player.

Sterling is out of contract at the end of next season but discussions about a new deal will not take place until the summer, sources saying he is focused solely on playing well for the club until the end of the current campaign.

"I think this really boils down to what Raheem wants out of his career," Le Tissier told Sky Sports News HQ's Morning View.

"He (Sterling) is pretty much guaranteed - unless Brendan Rodgers is going to rest him - of playing week in, week out. And it is a brilliant football club to be at."

Matt Le Tissier

"If he wants to go and make as much money as he possibly can, which I'm not going to criticise him for, if that's what he wants to do, then absolutely fine - then you'll see him going to one of the big boys abroad.

"Is that going to be best for his development? Possibly not.

"At those clubs, there's a lot more pressure, a lot better players around him, and he may not play week in, week out. 

"Whereas at Liverpool, he will get that. He’s pretty much guaranteed - unless Brendan Rodgers is going to rest him - of playing week in, week out. And it is a brilliant football club to be at.

"But if he chooses... a lot more money somewhere else, and that’s the way he wants to go, you can’t criticise him for that."

Arsenal have been linked with a bid for the 20-year-old, and former Republic of Ireland striker Tony Cascarino said it was inevitable that the young player would attract interest from big clubs around the world.

"Liverpool is a great football club for him but there's going to be interest - there's a lot of talk of Arsenal. Arsenal's a great football club for him as well, because of the way they play," Cascarino said.

"Liverpool is a great football club for him but there's going to be interest - there's a lot of talk of Arsenal. Arsenal's a great football club for him as well, because of the way they play"

Tony Cascarino

"I think Brendan Rodgers has to sit him down and ask: 'Do you want to play for this club or not? Forget the money - you’re going to earn a lot of money. Do you want to play for this football club?' And hopefully he’ll get an answer of yes or no straight away.

"Raheem’s got to have some stability. He can have a move at 24, 25, if he wants to go to another country or another team in England. You can do it further down your career - I just think it would be too much to move now."

Cascarino added that being forced to play out of position at Liverpool may have sparked some dissatisfaction in the Sterling camp.

"He’s played out of position for Liverpool in recent weeks and I don’t think he’s suited to being a wing-back. I think his defensive qualities, as a player, are still not quite there," he said.