Raheem Sterling's nightmare at Chelsea came to an end last week. The Englishman signed for the Blues in 2022 and played a key role in his first two seasons with the club.
However, things went sour for Sterling when Enzo Maresca was appointed manager. The Italian wasn't a huge fan of the former Liverpool and Manchester City star, and he was shipped out on loan to Arsenal for the entirety of the 2024/25 season.
Sterling returned in the summer, but Maresca had not changed his opinion of him, and he was made to train alone away from the first team squad.
After six months training alone, Sterling and Chelsea agreed to terminate his contract at the end of January, giving him the best chance of a fresh start elsewhere.
A club statement said: "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."
Shock Club Reject Chance to Sign Sterling
raheem sterling chelsea
After news that Sterling had left Chelsea broke, Sky Sports reported that Sterling was in talks with seven interested clubs, with his representatives holding talks with teams in England, Italy, France and Germany.
One club that have been offered the opportunity to sign Sterling in recent times is Union Berlin. The German club are currently ninth in Bundesliga having amassed 24 points from their opening 20 matches.
Union Berlin Sporting director Horst Heldt has revealed that they were approached by the player’s camp on transfer deadline day, but they did not think the approach was serious and chose not to pursue a deal. He said, per TransferMarkt:
“In every transfer window, you’re confronted with names that make you rub your eyes. In this case, it just wasn’t serious, so we didn’t move forward. We won’t be doing anything today. We were offered a few players, but there wasn’t anything concrete.”
Napoli Speak Out About Interest in Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling during a pre-match warm-up at Arsenal
One of the clubs that have been heavily linked with Sterling in recent months has been Napoli. A move to the reigning Serie A champions would see him link up with Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, who he was teammates with at Chelsea and Man City respectively.
Napoli sporting director's Giovanni Manna spoke to Football Italia after Sterling's departure was confirmed and noted how difficult it would be to come to a deal. He said, per ESPN:
"Raheem is very good, but he hasn't been playing for a long time. We spoke with him during the summer but I see it as difficult right now, he has significant financial expectations."
ESPN also report that two English clubs, West Ham and Fulham, have also both expressed interest in signing the 31-year-old. While Crystal Palace have also held exploratory talks over a potential move.