Chelsea ‘close in’ on £45m top target as AC Milan make £21m move for wantaway Blues star

Will Ford
Sterling Werner Man City Chelsea

Chelsea are reportedly ‘closing in’ on the £45m transfer of Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling.

The Blues have been linked with the England international ever since it was revealed Pep Guardiola’s side would listen to offers, and it’s thought both Thomas Tuchel and Sterling himself are keen to get the deal done.


READ MORE: Mo Salah contract extension marks the final end of last season for Liverpool


The Daily Mail claim a deal is set to be ‘struck in the coming days’ over a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

It’s been clear for a while that Sterling was open to a move to west London, and it’s now claimed that direct talks with Tuchel have strengthened the forward’s desire.

Mirror add fuel to that fire as they suggest Sterling is ‘negotiating’ to sell his £4.5million Cheshire home to Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, as the City forward ‘prepares to move down south’.

It’s likely Chelsea will have to clear the decks somewhat should Sterling arrive, and Calciomercato claim Hakim Ziyech has agreed to move to AC Milan.

Ziyech, who joined Chelsea from Ajax for £36m in the summer of 2020, has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League and has been used sparingly by Tuchel.

The report claims the Moroccan will move to Milan on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy for £21m, though Chelsea want that increased to £25m.

Meanwhile, it’s claimed Mohamed Salah was ‘prepared to move to Chelsea’ before Liverpool made him the highest-paid player in their history.

It was revealed on Friday that Salah has signed a new three-year deal with the Reds worth nearly £400,000 a week to bring speculation over his future to an end.

But a report states that Jurgen Klopp’s side were forced into action through a threat posed by Premier League rivals Chelsea.

New Blues owner Todd Boehly was reportedly lining up a move for Salah, who – through agent Ramy Abbas – has made it clear to Fenway Sports Group that he was considering a return to Stamford Bridge, where he spent a less than successful couple of years from 2014 to 2016.