Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has made contact with Manchester City star Raheem Sterling as he looks to bring him to Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window.
Raheem Sterling, 27, hasn’t completely ruled out staying at Manchester City but with his contract continuing to wind down, the Sky Blues are ready to sell him in this window. They value him between £50m – £60m, with Chelsea ready to offer Sterling a new challenge.
The England international arrived at Manchester City from Liverpool in a controversial move back in 2015. He has enjoyed incredible success at the Etihad Stadium, especially under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, winning four Premier League titles in the last five campaigns.
But having lost his place in Guardiola’s starting XI this past season, and with the Cityzens signing Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund this summer, Sterling would be happy to move to Chelsea, who are now understood to be preparing an opening bid.
Thomas Tuchel wants to revitalise his forward line
Chelsea’s new owner Todd Boehly will provide Thomas Tuchel with funds to strengthen his squad that finished third in the Premier League. Reinforcing the forward line has been identified as a key area by Tuchel, whose side struggled to score goals consistently in the second half of the last season.
The German tactician has lost Romelu Lukaku on loan to Chelsea, and now AC Milan appear keen on signing Hakim Ziyech. Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt remains a Chelsea target and it is understood the west London club are proposing to pay €45m plus Timo Werner in a swap deal. This apparently tells that Chelsea are willing to offload the underperforming Werner too, which as a result will further weaken Tuchel’s options in attack.
Raheem Sterling has become the Blues’ top target
Romelu Lukaku’s return to Inter Milan, and the uncertainties surrounding Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner have prompted Chelsea to scour the market for a quality attacking player. And Raheem Sterling has thus emerged as a viable target for the Pensioners, with initial contacts being already.
Sterling is open to joining Chelsea and that would be seen as a big plus, as Tuchel looks to replace Lukaku with a more versatile forward. At 27, the English star is perhaps entering the prime stages of his career, and his loads of top-flight experience, winning mentality and flexibility to play anywhere across the front-line, would undoubtedly bolster the Blues’ attacking ranks. Thus, it is easy to see the value the ex-Liverpool winger can provide.
Having seemingly reached his ceiling at Man City, a move away to Chelsea this summer looks like the right step for Sterling.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
