Raheem Sterling remains a free agent after he and Chelsea came to a mutual decision to terminate his contract at Stamford Bridge last month, but he’s now in talks with a Champions League club.
Having sparkled under Pep Guardiola for Man City, England icon Sterling joined Chelsea in the summer of 2022 for a fee just below £50m. A deal that many of a Chelsea persuasion believed was a real coup.
But his Chelsea stint flopped, especially following the arrival of Enzo Maresca in 2024. The Italian manager publicly ousted Sterling and didn’t believe the former Liverpool man suited the style he wanted to use.
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This season, Sterling was ousted from Chelsea’s Premier League squad after a loan to Arsenal last season. Now, 18 months before his deal was due to end, Sterling has left Chelsea and remains a free agent.
Kevin De Bruyne is playing key role in Raheem Sterling talks
Sterling is not the first player to be ostracised by Chelsea, and certainly, he won’t be the last. Back in 2015, Chelsea offloaded Kevin De Bruyne to Wolfsburg for just £18m and the Belgian would go on to shine.
Raheem Sterling playing for Chelsea against Manchester City in a pre-season friendly.
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A few years later, De Bruyne joined Man City for £55m, and the rest is history. Now at Napoli, De Bruyne is injured but remains a key part of Antonio Conte’s side, and The Sun says he is key in talks to sign Sterling.
Indeed, Napoli were linked with Sterling before his January release, and the latest report claims that Sterling is now in talks with Napoli. It is claimed that De Bruyne is attempting to convince Sterling.
Why Raheem Sterling faces a race against time to find new club
Despite being a free agent, Sterling is in a race against time to sign on the dotted line for a new club. That is, if he wants to be playing Champions League football before the end of the current 2025-26 season.
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Chelsea's Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring his side's first goal with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
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Clubs in Europe’s three competitions are permitted to make changes to their squad before midnight on Thursday. However, Napoli specifically will not be as urgent, having been knocked out of the competition.
Indeed, Chelsea and Liam Rosenior guided the Blues to a 3-2 win on the final matchday of the Champions League and it saw Conte’s men knocked out of Europe. It means Napoli are not under any pressure.
It depends which clubs are at the table for Sterling. But if he is keen on a move to Napoli, a decision is unlikely to arrive before midnight tonight. German side Union Berlin have also been linked with Sterling.
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