Chelsea and Man City could agree on £45million transfer compromise for Raheem Sterling- a player that has been labelled as 'better' than the duo of Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez.
Todd Boehly is reportedly set to be at the heart of negotiations for a deal following the big updates regarding the futures of Bruce Buck and Marina Granovskaia. The Athletic first reported the Blues' interest in the 27-year-old, who has admitted in the past that he is seeking more regular first-team football. It is understood that the Three Lions international is keen on moving to London and has even signalled his intent by seeking out a number of people at Chelsea to get the lowdown on Thomas Tuchel and other aspects of the club.
However, despite all the talk surrounding Sterling, it is understood that direct talks between the two clubs haven't been opened as of yet, though the England star is handling the talks as he currently has no agent. Sky Sports state that the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Christopher Nkunku are also being considered in this major attacking re-shuffle by Tuchel.
READ MORE: Raheem Sterling's true transfer value revealed as Chelsea make £35million Sadio Mane demand
Chelsea are hoping to pay a fee of around £35million for the Man City star, but his current club are believed to value him at closer to £60million. However, a £45million fee could apparently be agreed upon by the two clubs, with talks expected to officially open in the near future upon the conclusion of the Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan loan deal.
It is somewhat of a surprise that the current Premier League champions are willing to strengthen a direct rival in this way and Danny Murphy says that Pep Guardiola could be about to make a huge mistake in allowing a player move on who is 'better' than both Grealish and Mahrez - two players who will likely be in the City squad for 2022/23.
Murphy told talkSPORT: "I define world-class as the best players in the world… he’s probably the next tier below. The best players in the world should be a small bracket of players. When you talk about world-class players you’re talking about Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, that type who are world-class players… you can’t throw world-class as a blanket
"I think if you look at City's attacking talent… would you have Grealish ahead of Sterling? I wouldn't. I'm a big fan of Grealish but I think Sterling's better. I’d have Sterling ahead of Mahrez although Mahrez is a terrific player but I think you get more defensively out of Sterling… in a big game I’d have Sterling over him.
"Does Sterling get in my best XI? He does for me but he doesn’t for Pep so it looks like they’ll let him go. If I was a Chelsea fan I’d be more than happy having Sterling."
Chelsea fans- Would you be very happy with Raheem Sterling being one of the so-called marquee signings that Todd Boehly is planning to pull off over the next few weeks? Leave your thoughts below in the comments section!
