Raheem Sterling to make Chelsea squirm over transfer ahead of Friday's deadline
Raheem Sterling appears to have little Chelsea future under Enzo Maresca and his thoughts on an exit have been revealed just days before the summer transfer window finally closes
by Daniel Orme · The MirrorRaheem Sterling will only leave Chelsea on HIS terms after being told he has no future at the club.
The former Manchester City winger is out of favour with new boss Enzo Maresca. After leaving him out of his first squad against the reigning champions, the Italian revealed it would be better for Sterling to look for opportunities elsewhere.
The winger’s camp also released a statement demanding clarity from the Blues, particularly given the role he had played in pre-season, while he also had his squad number given to summer arrival Pedro Neto. Sterling has already been linked with a number of moves - Juventus and Aston Villa among those to have been offered the chance to sign him.
Manchester United have emerged as an option with a potential swap deal involving Jadon Sancho under consideration. But it appears that Sterling will have the final decision over his future.
The 29-year-old’s preference is to stay in the Premier League but it remains to be seen whether Chelsea can thrash out a deal with one of their domestic rivals. Now, according to The Sun, he will also only move to a club that he is happy with and is not intending to lodge a transfer request to force a move away from Chelsea.
That would leave the club in a tricky position over the winger’s eye-watering contract. The club would need to agree a suitable severance package with their winger in order to get him off the books... or pay him big, in accordance with his contract.
Where should Raheem Sterling go? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Chelsea’s sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart will lead talks with Sterling in an effort to come to an agreeable conclusion. But should that not occur, that would leave them in an extremely tricky position of having to pay Sterling’s lofty wages while out of favour.
There is also a significant race against time with the summer transfer window set to slam shut on Friday evening. Sterling still has three years left on his current deal, while the next opportunity he would have to move to another Premier League club would be January.
Sterling was signed in a £47m deal from Man City two years ago. He has made 81 appearances in all competitions since then and has scored 19 goals.
Speaking about the ongoing situation last week, Maresca said: "I spoke with Raheem, one-on-one the day before City and I explained him exactly the situation. I don’t see Raheem after the game. He is training apart as I said, but in case I sit with Raheem, I will tell him exactly the same things that I already told him. I don’t have anything new to tell him because I was quite clear."
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