A Bundesliga team that were offered Raheem Sterling didn't pursue the potential transfer as their manager admitted it "didn't seem serious"
18:54, 02 Feb 2026Updated 18:55, 02 Feb 2026
Raheem Sterling
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Raheem Sterling is without a team(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
A Bundesliga team that were offered Raheem Sterling didn't pursue the transfer as it "didn't seem serious".
Sterling had his contract with Chelsea terminated earlier this month. The Blues confirmed his exit in a statement that read: "Raheem Sterling has today departed Chelsea Football Club by mutual agreement, bringing to an end three-and-a-half seasons as our player, having signed in the summer of 2022 when he was transferred from Manchester City.
"We thank Raheem for the contribution he made while a Chelsea player and wish him well for the next stage in his career." They had been looking to sell him, with Union Berlin boss Horst Heldt revealing he didn't think it was serious.
Horst Heldt
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Horst Heldt was offered Raheem Sterling(Image: Getty Images)
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Speaking to Sky Germany, he said: "Sometimes you have to rub your eyes… In this case, it didn’t really seem serious. We didn’t pursue it any further.”
Sterling was the highest-paid player at Stamford Bridge, and it's been reported that the likely cost of paying the winger out of the remaining 18 months of his contract is around £22million.
Chelsea loaned Sterling to Arsenal last season in an effort to get a portion of his staggering wages off the books.
He scored just once in 28 appearances for the Gunners and unsurprisingly a permanent move never materialised.
Sterling reportedly had offers to leave on loan in the summer but the 82-time England international rejected approaches from Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen.
It's understood he wanted to remain in London to stay close to his family.
The winger was the first big-money signing of the Todd Boehly era when he made the £47.5m switch from Manchester City.
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He scored 19 goals in 81 games, including one in his last Chelsea appearance on the final day of the 2023/24 season in a 2-1 win over Bournemouth.
A runners-up medal in the 2024 EFL Cup final was the closest he got to lifting silverware for the Blues.