Raheem Sterling ‘hoping’ to reunite with Man City hero amid crunch ‘talks’ with Euro giants – report | OneFootball

Raheem Sterling is looking for a new club after his contract with Chelsea was terminated, and he is in ongoing ‘talks’ over a move that could see him reunite with one of his former Manchester City teammates.

The 31-year-old hadn’t made a single competitive appearance for Chelsea all season. He was not part of Enzo Maresca’s plans, and things didn’t change under new Blues boss Liam Rosenior.

All parties attempted to secure a transfer for Sterling, but despite interest from within the Premier League and abroad, his reported wages of £325,000 per week at Chelsea ultimately made it impossible.

And on January 28, Sterling’s Chelsea contract was terminated by mutual consent. This makes him a free agent, and reports suggest that Napoli are willing to take a chance on him.

According to The Sun, talks between Sterling and Napoli are ‘underway’, and the England international is ‘hoping’ to play alongside Kevin de Bruyne again with the Serie A giants.

The duo joined Man City at the same time in 2015 and spent seven years together at the Etihad before Sterling left for Chelsea in 2022.

Crucially, the report claims that Sterling is ‘prepared to lower his wage demands in order to secure a move abroad and rejuvenate his career’ – something that has blocked moves in the past.

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Napoli chief – ‘Raheem is very good’

Napoli’s sporting director, Giovanni Manna, has already spoken about the complexities about sealing a deal for Sterling.

“”Raheem is very good, but he hasn’t been playing for a long time,” Manna told Sky Italia on Wednesday.

“We spoke with him during the summer but I see it as difficult right now, he has significant financial expectations.”

The Italian club attempted to sign the winger on loan last summer, but the deal ultimately collapsed.

But with Sterling now willing to accept a significantly lower salary, per The Sun’s report, there is a chance that a deal could be ‘resurrected.’

Last season, Sterling spent the season on loan with Arsenal, who paid ‘less than a third’ of his wages at the time.

He made 28 appearances for the Gunners, notching one goal and five assists in the process.

This term, Sterling has been training individually and Napoli will have to ask themselves whether he would be fit enough to make an impact in the Serie A.

Clubs from the Saudi Pro League have also shown interest in Sterling, but he appears reluctant to make a switch to the Gulf State.

Everton explored a move for Sterling after he left Chelsea, but they too were concerned his wage demands were too high, and instead opted to sign Tyrique George from the Blues.