Raheem Sterling’s future at Chelsea remains completely up in the air, with the England international the only remaining member of the so-called Cobham bomb squad.
The 31-year-old has failed to play for Chelsea all season after returning to West London following a loan at Arsenal. He is contracted to Chelsea until the summer of 2027, meaning a further 18 months remain.
Liam Rosenior has been asked about Sterling’s future. Initially, the Chelsea manager said that the club are talking to Sterling about what comes next before the January deadline. He was asked again yesterday.
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A blunt response from Rosenior, who simply said “no” when asked if there were any updates regarding Sterling. But BBC Sport’s Chelsea correspondent Nizaar Kinsella does have an update regarding Sterling.
Chelsea open to releasing Raheem Sterling despite massive fee
Kinsella writes on BBC Sport’s website that Chelsea sources have not ruled out the potential of releasing Sterling, 18 months before his deal comes to an end. Currently, Sterling is Chelsea’s highest-paid player.
Chelsea Training Session
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The former Liverpool and Man City star is earning £325,000 a week at the moment. Kinsella reports that Chelsea would prefer to sell Sterling permanently, but they will sanction a loan or a mutual termination.
If Chelsea and Sterling go down the latter route, Kinsella reports that it is likely Sterling would ask for the remaining 17 months of his contract to be paid up. That equates to around £22m, as things stand.
Of course, Chelsea and Sterling would have to enter some form of negotiations and agree a fee, or a compromise. On the other hand, Sterling might simply prefer to remain in the Chelsea bomb squad.
Who wants to sign Raheem Sterling before January deadline?
Chelsea are in Italy currently, with Cole Palmer travelling and Liam Rosenior eyeing a fifth win from six against Antonio Conte. Napoli are in a bad way, with seven key players missing through injury currently.
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Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all have to be contenders…
Chelsea's Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring his side's first goal with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
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Chelsea are favourites to win, even if Goran Pandev has backed Napoli. But tonight’s match might not be the only time Chelsea and Napoli do battle, with Napoli also interested in raiding Chelsea for Sterling.
The winger has also been linked with some of the Premier League’s London clubs like West Ham and Fulham, but a move to Newcastle for Sterling has been ruled out. Sterling would rather remain home.
Indeed, Sterling rejected a move to Bayern Munich towards the end of the summer window, with Bayern signing Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea. But Sterling’s stance on a foreign move may have changed.
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