Chelsea travel to Italy on Wednesday to face Serie A champions Napoli in a crucial Champions League match.
The Blues have enjoyed a positive start to life under new head coach Liam Rosenior, winning four of their five matches across all competitions, but even a victory in Naples won’t guarantee the London side a place in the knockout stages of the competition.
Rosenior’s side currently sit eighth in the 32-team table, occupying the last automatic qualification spot, but there are five teams below them on the same points tally, meaning goal difference could come into play.
Away from the action, it has emerged that one of Chelsea’s highest earners is set to leave the club in the coming days.
As per Fabrizio Romano, winger Raheem Sterling is likely to leave Stamford Bridge in the final days of the current transfer window.
The 82-time England international hasn’t featured for Chelsea since May 2024, during a win over Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Since then the 31-year-old has spent time on loan at Arsenal, although that spell also proved unsuccessful.
Sterling spent last season on loan at Arsenal (Photo: Sportimage Ltd/Alamy)
Sterling hasn’t featured at all for the Blues this term and has instead been part of a ‘bomb squad’ that has been training away from the first team, alongside the likes of Axel Disasi.
Romano claims, however, that Chelsea are in discussions with the player’s representatives in an effort to find club willing to sign the player, as the Blues are willing to let the attacker depart.
In total Sterling has netted 19 times and provided 15 assists in 81 games for the club across all competitions.
The Englishman’s contract with the Blues isn’t set to expire until the end of the 2026/27 campaign, but it appears that he could instead leave Stamford Bridge in the coming days before the close of the January transfer window.