Raheem Sterling worries his time at Chelsea may be reaching an end, following his unexpected drop from the team facing Manchester City and the club’s decision to bring in João Félix from Atlético Madrid on a contract spanning six years. Sterling, with an ongoing weekly contract worth £325,000 and three years left, is seeking urgent verification from the club about his future subsequent to Enzo Maresca’s strategic choice to exclude him from the side that underwent a 2-0 defeat against City on Sunday.
The club’s recent head coach had previously signalled to Sterling that his importance within the team was declining, suggesting the 29-year-old winger contemplate his path ahead before the end of the transfer window. Maresca is looking to downsize a team that currently houses over 30 players, and he already has numerous alternatives for wide positions.
The Portugal international, Félix, whose previous loan tenure at Chelsea was not overly successful, is eager to make a comeback to Stamford Bridge. The discussions around Félix started when a transfer attempt for Atlético’s forward Samu Omorodion, failed last week. For their €42m transfer of Conor Gallagher, who only has a year left on his present contract, Atlético had to let go of a player. Their resolve to part ways with Félix, loaned to Barcelona last season, allows Chelsea to offload an English midfielder and prevent the risk of losing him without any returns the coming year. With Gallagher’s change set to be completed in the next couple of days, a spot amidst his highly populated front line for Félix is set as Maresca’s next challenge. The previous Benfica star, Félix, who is comparable in his footballing style to Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer, is seen as a creative asset.
The Chelsea football club, financed by Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly, are looking to significantly reduce their player expenses during this active summer transfer season. Among other players including Armando Broja, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Djordje Petrovic, Carney Chukwuemeka and David Datro Fofana, the club has also confirmed that Romelu Lukaku is due to join Napoli while Kepa Arrizabalaga is available for a transfer.
Interestingly, while some players like Broja, Gallagher and Chalobah are being secluded from first team facilities as they await their move, it is still uncertain if Raheem Sterling will face the same circumstances. Sterling is not anticipated to participate in the upcoming Europa Conference League playoff against Servette, though he remains puzzled by this unexpected turn of events despite being actively involved in the pre-season and even being featured in a promotional campaign for a fresh Chelsea sponsor.
The club’s key concern will be securing a desirable buyer for Sterling. As an England international player, Raheem is quite content living in London and has turned down previous offers from the Saudi Pro League. Discussions about a possible switch with Federico Chiesa from Juventus have been initiated, but it appears the financial aspect might pose a challenge for the Italian club.
Whilst Chelsea is confident of abiding by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations, the extensive reservations regarding the Player Salary Ratio (PSR) might make it difficult for the club to find a match for Sterling’s considerable wage, as he is one of the club’s highly paid footballers.
An agreement has also been reached for João Félix to join Chelsea from Atlético, possibly opening opportunities for Gallagher, an academy trainee, to move to the La Liga team. Despite being informed of not being included in Maresca’s plans, Chalobah, another homegrown talent at Chelsea, hasn’t dismissed the option of staying at the club he joined as a young boy.
There has been no recent news concerning Broja, and high-level interest in last season’s vice-captain Chilwell seems to be lacking. Chukwuemeka, who sat out much of the previous season due to a knee injury, didn’t participate in the match against City and is likely on his way out. Offers for the midfielder could range from loan to a permanent deal. Napoli and Barcelona are rumoured to be potential destinations for him.
Chelsea’s extensive talks with Napoli focusing on Lukaku may lead to the signing of Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen, currently contracted to the Italian side. Discussions regarding Osimhen tend to focus on a loan arrangement, but it’s unclear if Chelsea will meet his wage requirements. Paris Saint-Germain’s interest in the ex-Lille striker appears to be waning according to the Guardian.