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Written by Martin Graham | 7 June 2022
Reports from England have claimed that Manchester City have offered Raheem Sterling to Chelsea because they and the player consider his time at the club to be over.
Sterling moved to the Etihad in July 2015 for £50 million, making him the most expensive English player of all time. Since then, the record has dwindled to players the likes of Harry Maguire and his Manchester City teammate Jack Grealish. However, it was a big deal at the time because City paid a premium to the player that was well worth it at the time.
He has since gone on to score many important goals and play several key roles for the club that has dominated English football for the better part of the last decade.
But at the time, he also struggled to maintain his central position in the team as Pep Guardiola, the club’s head coach, likes to tweak and rotate his squads frequently to keep opponents guessing.
Sterling has been reported on a few occasions that he is unhappy with the Spaniard’s constant tinkering who sometimes sees him outside the starting line-up for two or more games in a row. The club’s recent signings – Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland – now put his place in the squad in even greater danger.
Sterling is open to leave town
The 27-year-old is said to be willing to leave the club for more playing time and it looks like Chelsea could be his next destination after Man City were reported to have offered him to the London club.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are other clubs interested in the winger, and the Spanish agency AS reported that City had contacted them about a possible deal to buy Sterling.
Arsenal are also interested in the 27-year-old but Sterling is not interested in a move to the club. Madrid’s priority is elsewhere at the moment and Barcelona are in a financial mess. Bayern Munich have expressed interest in Liverpool striker Sadio Mane, and Paris Saint-Germain are said to be unsure of the England player’s transfer.
This leaves room for Chelsea to pounce on the England international, who is currently recovering from a small blow picked in the final stages of the 2021/22 season ahead of the club’s pre-season schedule.
AS also reported that the club is willing to sell sterling for less than its market value of £76.5m.
Sterling should stay at the union – ex-City goalkeeper David James
But former City goalkeeper David James has warned Sterling against Chelsea’s rejection if he intends to compete for titles next season.
Speaking to GGRecon, James said: “The easy answer is to stay in City! First of all, you’ll have a chance to win titles. He gets match time, like I said, by turns, Raheem is one of 24, 25 players that have appeared in the league.”
“You will get enough regular time in a successful team. It will be a bit crowded before the World Cup but in the meantime you will get enough game time, enough rest I would argue, to be better for the World Cup.
James also made it clear that he had praised Sterling for links in the media with all of Europe’s top clubs, saying she patted the 27-year-old’s back.
