Non-League football club attempts to crowdfund Raheem Sterling bid

Audacious doesn't even begin to cover Macclesfield Town's pursuit of Raheem Sterling.

The Cheshire-based club, who play in the Conference Premier and count Sterling's team-mate Rickie Lambert among their former players, have launched a crowdfunding page to raise £50m, That is the amount the club, whose record signing cost £40,000, believe Liverpool will accept for the England international. They claim on the 'Bring Raheem to Macclesfield' page: "Admittedly, the move would be a little step down from the Premier League, but we here at Macclesfield Town can guarantee that Raheem wouldn't have to sit on the bench and watch a 6-1 defeat at Stoke City." https://twitter.com/thesilkmen/status/609302380509810688 In the first two hours since the target was set, the campaign raised the grand total of £25. At that rate it would take the club more than 400 years to hit their target. And that's before you consider the lengthy process of contract negotiations. It may well end up being the second time Macclesfield fall short, after efforts to host the 2026 World Cup fell flat. https://twitter.com/thesilkmen/status/605686541885796353 The club promised that they could hold the tournament for an outlay of £249.99, with £40 set aside for "gifts to the FIFA family". Their bid also cited the town's "up to six hotels" and opening and closing ceremonies conducted by Macclesfield Town manager John Askey and Cheshire-born TV presenter David Dickinson. Nothing wrong with a bit of ambition.