£47.5m Chelsea man set for axe as club chiefs ‘plan to accept’ bid and defender’s exit is announced
According to reports, Chelsea are ‘very open to selling’ Raheem Sterling just a year after he joined the club from Manchester City.
Sterling was one of Chelsea’s marquee signings last summer as he joined the Blues from Man City for a fee in the region of £47.5m.
The Blues endured a poor season in 2022/23 as they finished 12th in the Premier League. Sterling was plagued by a hamstring injury during the final few months of last season and he hardly sparkled when he was fully fit.
Chelsea spent around £600m on new players last season so they are having to sell some squad players to fund moves for their own additions.
The Premier League club have already made around £200m this summer, with Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Kalidou Koulibaly among their high-profile departures.
And according to Football Insider, Sterling could soon follow them out of Stamford Bridge. The forward is ‘attracting interest from clubs in Europe, the UK (the Premier League, assumingly) and Saudi Arabia) and they are ‘very open to letting him go’. They add.
‘Sources have told Football Insider that his future is now even more up in the air and the club are in favour of recouping his wages for new talent.
‘Sterling put pen to paper on a five-year deal from Man City last summer which includes the option of a further 12 months.
‘The Blues spent £47.5million on the England international but are willing to let him depart as interest in his services picks up.’
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Chelsea confirmed on Thursday that Cesar Azpilicueta has ended his 11-year stay in west London – with the 33-year-old reportedly having agreed a return to Spain to join Atletico Madrid.
It means one of Pochettino’s first tasks as manager will be to appoint a new captain, with regular stand-in from last season Mateo Kovacic having been sold to Manchester City.
Azpilicueta made more than 500 appearances for the club since joining from Marseille in 2012 and established himself as a favourite at Stamford Bridge, winning the Premier League in 2015 and 2017 as well as leading the side to victory in the Champions League in 2021.
An FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League winner, he appeared in a club-record 13 major cup finals.
Co-controlling owner Todd Boehly told the club’s website: “Coaches and team-mates past and present have trusted (Azpilicueta) to lead by example as captain.
“He has done so immaculately on and off the pitch, something for which we are grateful.”
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