Raheem Sterling is expecting to get the go-ahead on Monday to join up with Chelsea ’s US pre-season tour.
England star Sterling, 27, will undergo a medical in London on Sunday night after Chelsea and Manchester City agreed a £50m deal. Sterling will sign a five-year contract - with a further 12 month option - having already agreed personal terms to move to Stamford Bridge.
England forward Sterling will get a rise on the £300,000-a-week he was on at Manchester City and will become one of the best paid players in the Premier League and Chelsea’s biggest tournament. It is a major coup for Chelsea who have have already jetted off to the United States for their pre-season tour, having arrived in Los Angeles for the first leg.
They want Sterling to join up as quickly as possible so he can join up and fit in with his new teammates for the tour. The forward already appears to be making arrangements ready for when the deal is done after he was snapped in the capital getting his haircut in a post shared by his barber on social media. Sterling is no doubt keen to look fresh ahead of his unveiling which now appears a case of when rather than if.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has already held personal talks with Sterling about his role in the team which is one of the key factors in the player’s decision to leave City and move to Stamford Bridge. It is a major statement from Chelsea’s new owner Todd Boehly who is determined to strengthen the squad this summer and Sterling promises to be the biggest deal in terms of stature.
They are still in the market for City’s Nathan Ake while Matthijs de Ligt and Raphinha are also on their hit list but they face competition from Bayern Munich and Barcelona respectively. Cristiano Ronaldo is another player linked with the Blues recently.
Have Your Say! How many goals with Sterling score next season? Tell us what you think here!
Manchester United may have to accept defeat and cash in after the five-time Ballon d'Or winner expressed a desire to quit the club. Boehly is keen to make a marquee signing having recently taken over at Stamford Bridge and sees Ronaldo as exactly that.
Tuchel though has doubts regarding the Portuguese star and may look to veto any swoop for the United man. The German recently waved goodbye to Romelu Lukaku, albeit on loan, after the forward struggled to fit into his system and Ronaldo may well fall into that category.
Chelsea are also in need of centre-halves after seeing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both leave on frees this summer. Jules Kounde of Sevilla has been a long-term target but his club have played hardball in negotiations thus far.
