Raheem Sterling is the statement signing new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly wants to show he means business.
It would be a remarkable capture on Chelsea’s part because an England star moving from one Premier League giant to another title contender is rare. But Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has sold Sterling his vision, his outlook for the future at Stamford Bridge and where the Manchester City star fits in.
Sterling is front, centre and key to Chelsea’s future and, at 27-years-old and currently at the peak of his powers, the versatile forward would undoubtedly be a massive coup for the London club.
City are prepared to let Sterling go for around £55m and that would represent outstanding value even in an unpredictable transfer market. The reason this deal is taking place is Sterling’s wish for more regular game time, City boss Pep Guardiola has not been able to offer any guarantees and, having not started him in key games at the end of last season, there is new competition with Erling Haaland coming in.
But Sterling also only has a year left on his current £300,000-a-week deal at the Etihad and, rather than let him leave for free next summer, City are ready to cash in - even to a title rival. Tuchel has been in contact with Sterling, outlined where he sees him in the Chelsea team and the City forward clearly liked what the German had to say.
Chelsea were better last season when they played Kai Havertz as a false nine with wide forwards either side of him. Timo Werner came good in the final few months of the campaign and Mason Mount is a key player.
Sterling could fit in wide, play through the middle and his goal return - he has scored 109 goals in 320 Premier League appearances with 56 assists - is generally 20-plus a season.
He is also a big player with big game experience and can offer Chelsea extra quality as they look to bridge the gap between themselves and City and Liverpool to make a title challenge next season. It is still difficult to comprehend one title rival selling to another and, despite the history of big money moves in the Premier League era, is still pretty unusual.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Sterling be a success at Chelsea? Let us know in the comments section
Sterling famously moved from Liverpool to City in 2015 in a £49m deal when it was an ugly saga but back then City were on the way up, Liverpool were arguably in decline and the player was just a youngster. Now City are allowing Sterling to leave on good terms - they would rather he stay of course - and part of that must come down to the fact he has helped them to four Premier League titles and establish the club as one of the best in Europe.
Another intriguing aspect of this deal is that Chelsea’s new owner is overseeing it directly as it was Boehly who made direct contact with the City hierarchy on Monday to get the ball rolling. Chelsea have lost key members of the hierarchy as chairman Bruce Buck and transfer negotiator Marina Granovskaia have gone and Petr Cech is also leaving.
Until they make a new sporting director appointment, Boehly and Tuchel are taking charge and the US billionaire - co-owner of the LA Dodgers - has amazed agents by trying to broker deals this summer. It does bring back memories of the early days of Roman Abramovich when he was more involved and quickly developed a reputation for having favoured agents. But this time Boehly is doing it himself and that enthusiasm and determination is another major selling point for players who can see for themselves just how much they are wanted.
