Raheem Sterling is in advanced discussions to leave Chelsea before the transfer deadline on Monday, potentially ending a lengthy exile from the first team. The 31-year-old winger, who earns a reported £325,000 per week, has not played for the club in 100 consecutive matches, with his last appearance dating back to May 2024.
Negotiations are centered on either a permanent sale or a mutual termination of his contract, which has 18 months remaining. Chelsea is keen to resolve the situation to remove a significant financial burden from their wage bill, a legacy of the club’s early spending under the current ownership.
A costly relic of a previous transfer strategy
Sterling’s predicament underscores a shift in the club’s recruitment policy. Signed from Manchester City in 2022 for £47.5 million as a marquee arrival, he was handed a lucrative five-year deal. The current hierarchy now favors contracts with lower base salaries and performance incentives, making Sterling’s guaranteed high wages an anomaly.
Manager Liam Rosenior declined to comment on the specifics when asked, stating only that he has “massive respect” for the player. Sterling has been training separately from the main squad for months, part of a group of players deemed to have no future at the club, a situation that has persisted since his return from a loan spell at Arsenal last season. The club aims to finalize his departure imminently.
