Chelsea have made their first move to sign Raheem Sterling - and the deal could be done this week.
Blues owner Todd Boelhy has made a personal intervention to make contact with Manchester City with a formal bid now certain to follow. City may be willing to sell for around £55m and it is understood discussions with Sterling have been very transparent and amicable which suggests a move could go through quickly.
England star Sterling, 27, has one year left on his £300,000-a-week contract at City and his decision over his future is driven purely by a desire for more game time. That has alerted Chelsea with Thomas Tuchel very keen and has already outlined his vision to Sterling and how he would fit into his plans.
Chelsea will now follow up with an offer and, while personal terms have yet to be agreed, that is unlikely to be a problem and City will not stand in his way if they get the right offer.
It would be one of the biggest deals of the summer with an England international switching between two Premier League rivals but it signals a rebuild for both clubs with City signing Erling Haaland and Calvin Phillips.
Chelsea will also carry on spending with Matthijs De Ligt keen on a move to Stamford Bridge. The 22-year-old Dutch defender who is on around £200,000-a-week and his wages and current deal is one of the reasons why Juventus are open to letting him go for around £70m.
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Chelsea are also trying to sign Ousmane Dembele with the France star out of contract at Barcelona on June 30. Tuchel is in the market for two defenders as Antonio Rudiger after he joined Real Madrid while Andreas Christensen has also confirmed publicly his departure with Barcelona long term admirers.
His representatives have held further talks with Barcelona but the Spanish giants have so far been unable to reach an agreement and if he leaves as a free agent then Chelsea are in pole position. Chelsea have also held talks with AC Milan about a loan move for Hakim Ziyech but have yet to agree a deal.
Boelhy is personally overseeing much of the business following a huge exodus of staff with Technical and Performance Advisor Petr Cech the latest departure after chairman Bruce Buck and transfer negotiator Marina Granovskaia.
Cech, the club’s legendary former keeper, has quickly built a reputation as a sharp operator but the club is clearly moving away from its roots from the Roman Abramovich era. However, Chelsea are preparing to allow Romelu Lukaku leave on a year-long loan to Inter Milan just 12 months after re-signing him in a record £97.5m move.
Tuchel was willing to let Lukaku go but it must be seen as a gamble which does not reflect well on the club’s recruitment. Boelhy in the meantime has been hands-on when it comes to targeting new signings and is working closely with Tuchel to get deals over the line.
Cech said: “It has been a huge privilege to perform this role at Chelsea for the past three years. With the Club under new ownership, I feel now is the right time for me to step aside. I am pleased that the Club is now in an excellent position with the new owners, and I am confident of its future success both on and off the pitch.”
