It seems like Raheem Sterling’s time at Chelsea might be nearing its end. The club has reportedly offered the winger to Aston Villa as they look to reshape their squad under new head coach Enzo Maresca.
Sterling, who came to Chelsea with high expectations after a $62 million transfer from Manchester City, now finds himself among 15 other players the club is looking to sell. The message from Maresca has been clear—Sterling doesn’t fit into his plans, and he’s even been training separately from the main squad.
Maresca didn’t mince words when explaining the situation. “Raheem is a talented player, but I’m looking for a different style on the wings,” he said. He mentioned that he had a one-on-one conversation with Sterling before Chelsea’s game against City, making it clear where things stood. Since then, there hasn’t been much interaction between them, and Sterling’s situation remains unchanged.
Sterling, however, isn’t ready to give up on playing at the highest level. He is determined to remain in the Premier League, and Aston Villa has surfaced as a potential location. The prospect of playing in the Champions League is a big draw for him, especially as he aims to secure his spot back in the England squad. He’s not interested in lucrative offers from places like Saudi Arabia; he wants to keep playing at the top.
There’s been talk of Juventus being interested in a swap deal involving Federico Chiesa, but Chelsea doesn’t seem keen on that option. Sterling himself is seeking “clarity” after being unexpectedly left out of Chelsea’s opening Premier League match against Manchester City.
Earning a hefty $392,000 a week, Sterling’s situation is quite different from the club’s new trend of offering more modest contracts. Chelsea has a tight deadline to offload players before the transfer market shuts on August 31 due to growing financial strain. If they can’t make the deals happen in time, they might be stuck paying—and potentially playing—players who don’t fit into the new plans.
Maresca is keeping his options open for now. “We’ll see,” he said. “It’s still early, and a lot can happen in the last 10 days of the transfer window.”
