Chelsea are already planning to sell Raheem Sterling after his loan spell at Arsenal, with a detailed report revealing where they could send him and on what terms – as well as what they won’t be sanctioning.
Sterling spent just two seasons with Chelsea before becoming surplus to requirements. For this season, they sent him on loan to Arsenal, where he has struggled to fare much better. If he hasn’t done enough to convince Arsenal to buy him, Chelsea could be back to square one in July.
There will be two years remaining on Sterling’s Chelsea contract when he returns from his Arsenal spell in the summer. But it appears there are no plans to reintegrate him and Chelsea will be on the lookout for a new buyer.
Fabrizio Romano has already explained that Chelsea plan to cash in on up to eight players, including some who are already out on loan, to raise money for a new striker in the summer.
Sterling looks to be a likely casualty – and an update from The Athletic has provided some new clues on how he could leave.
According to the report, Chelsea don’t see much benefit at all in loaning Sterling out again. Instead, they are planning to sell the 30-year-old on a permanent basis.
However, they have also ruled out paying him off to terminate his contract. If Sterling is to leave Chelsea this summer, someone must present them with an acceptable sum of money.
And that might be a club from outside the Premier League. The report hints that Sterling and his camp could find suitors in Europe, while a move to Saudi Arabia could be considered.
So far, there’s some uncertainty about exactly who might be interested in Sterling. But Chelsea hope to find out sooner rather than later, with the report confirming they want him gone earlier in the transfer window than they managed when having to send him to Arsenal on deadline day in August.
In The Athletic‘s words, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believed there was a ‘romantic potential of reigniting that spark’ for Sterling, but the former England international hasn’t turned out to be one of his preferred options and it leaves his future up in the air.
“Arteta brings in players, and puts them on the bench, you never give the guys the chance,” William Gallas said.
“Why did you bring the players? Why did you bring Sterling? Everybody knew that he didn’t have the quality he had at Liverpool and Manchester City, but when you brought him at the start of the season, you never gave him a chance.
“Especially when you should have been rotating, you never gave him minutes on the wing. Instead, you kept him on the bench, always used the same players, and now they’re tired and Sterling’s confidence has completely evaporated.
“That’s why I say he’s a good coach, but not top class, not world-class.”
Chelsea welcoming new winger as another Arsenal battle takes shape
While Sterling is unlikely to be part of Chelsea’s plans again, they do have plans to strengthen in attack.
This week, they lined up the signing of Sporting winger Geovany Quenda for the summer of 2026.
Quenda isn’t the only player Chelsea are buying from Sporting, since a deal is lined up for midfielder Dario Essugo.
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