Raheem Sterling targets Premier League transfer to end Chelsea nightmare

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Evening Standard

·22 agosto 2024

Raheem Sterling targets Premier League transfer to end Chelsea nightmare

England forward has ruled out move to Saudi Arabia and does not want to go on loan

Raheem Sterling wants to stay in the Premier League as he seeks a permanent move away from Chelsea in the final week of the transfer window.

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The 29-year-old has been frozen out by head coach Enzo Maresca and stripped of his No7 shirt.

Sterling is considering his options but his family are settled in London and he is reluctant to move abroad, putting top-flight clubs on alert.

Sterling has been the subject of an enquiry from Juventus but would prefer to remain in the Premier League in a bid to help resurrect his England career.

He has ruled out a move to Saudi Arabia and does not want to go on loan.

Sterling has three years left on his contract worth more than £300,000 a week and it is hard to see an obvious destination for him in the Premier League unless Chelsea subsidise most of his wages or he takes a significant pay cut.

He has been banished from first-team training at Chelsea and was given Tuesday and Wednesday off while he and the club assess their options.

Sterling is due to return to Chelsea training this week when he will be part of a group of about 15 players who have been bombed out by Maresca.

On another dramatic day at Stamford Bridge, Sterling lost his No7 shirt to new £54million signing Pedro Neto.

He joins players including Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah in the Chelsea ‘bomb squad’ but Maresca has denied that his treatment of the winger has been “brutal”.

“I don’t think so,” said the head coach. “I try to be honest. I spoke with Raheem before the Manchester City game, I said he is going to struggle to get minutes with us and this is the reason why he is out of the squad. For me, it’s not brutal, it’s just honest.”

Chelsea host Swiss side Servette on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off tie.