Chelsea finally have their first men's signing of the Todd Boehly/Clearlake era, and it's a biggie. Raheem Sterling's confirmed £45m deal to bring him to Stamford Bridge has been well anticipated, and Blues fans might have a chance to see him in action sooner rather than later.
After being relatively idle for the first period of the window, Thomas Tuchel could be rewarded with three quickfire signings as Kalidou Koulibaly also closes in on a move to London. Meanwhile. Former Manchester City teammate Nathan Ake could follow shortly.
This has now given Tuchel a strong idea of what his squad for next season will look like as he continues work with his team out in America for preseason.
READ MORE: Todd Boehly on 'serial winner' Raheem Sterling as Chelsea complete £55m Man City transfer
The Blues play their first match on Sunday, July 17 against Club America and it isn't unreasonable to suggest that Sterling could make his uncompetitive Chelsea debut in that game.
The 27-year-old winger flew out to Las Vegas on Tuesday, July 12 and will join up with the Chelsea squad for training straight away, meeting his new teammates and preparing for the upcoming matches which include games against Charlotte, Arsenal and Udinese.
The Premier League gets underway for Chelsea on Sunday, August 6 with a testing away trip to Everton, a match which, all going well, Sterling will be involved for. His home debut could then come against Antonio Conte's Tottenham side one week later.
Another fixture to look out for in relation to Sterling is that he will come up against Manchester City on January 2, 2023 in the first league match between the two, at Stamford Bridge.
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