Raheem Sterling transfer truths as chances of joining three London rivals from Chelsea revealed | OneFootball

Raheem Sterling’s hefty wages aren’t the only thing making it difficult for him to find a suitable club to join from Chelsea, with the conditions it would take for him to consider a move abroad and the prospects of him staying in London via three different routes coming to light.

Not many players have been patiently waiting for the January transfer window to come around more than Sterling, who has been frozen out by Chelsea since returning from a disappointing loan spell with Arsenal last season. If Sterling is going to play any meaningful football this season, it will have to be with a different club.

But the former Liverpool and Manchester City winger, despite his pedigree, is finding that suitors aren’t that forthcoming for his signature.

On his current salary of £325,000 per week, Sterling is out of the price range of most of the clubs he would be at the level of these days. However, finances aren’t the only obstacle to a move.

TEAMtalk’s Dean Jones explains: “He’s one of the most interesting stories as we head into January because it is so unclear how he gets his career going again. He’s been training alone and it’s sad to see his career wane. Mentally I think this will have been a very challenging period but I’ve heard that he has tried hard to remain positive.

“Leaving Chelsea is not as easy as it seems – partly because he’s on 300 grand a week but also because of his commitment to his family. They have had a difficult time recently and he does not want to disrupt their set up and is very cautious about what he would actually do next.

“Fulham looked at signing him in the summer but hesitated and then backed away, so I’m not sure that will be on the table again. He wants to remain in London and Palace could be a plausible option as they are very much in the market for a winger. The lack of action doesn’t really help him though and Palace would likely see him as more of a back up plan than an actual target.

“West Ham want a wide forward and have been looking at Adama Traore. Sterling has not been on their radar so far and so you wonder how he finds a club in the capital.

“For a permanent deal I think he would consider going abroad but it would have to be a full-on commitment – not just a short-term stint.”

Sterling remains under contract with Chelsea until the end of next season.

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