Raheem Sterling is nearing a departure from Manchester City as Fabrizio Romano revealed on Sunday that Chelsea are stepping up their pursuit of the 27-year-old.
Director Marina Granovskaia was leading negotiations before leaving Chelsea after the recent takeover by Boehly-Clearlake’s consortium, so new joint-owner Todd Boehly will assume responsibility.
Romano says Chelsea are now ‘preparing a bid’ to sign Sterling as Thomas Tuchel ‘wants’ the England international ahead of next season’s title push. The Blues have ‘discussed’ personal terms with Sterling, so all that may be left is agreeing a fee.
Pep Guardiola doesn’t want to lose Sterling. The 51-year-old values him highly, but City have little choice but to cash in early rather than risk losing the 27-year-old for nothing next year if he won’t sign a new deal.
Sterling scored 13 goals with six assists in 30 Premier League outings this season, so he’s contributing more than a goal every other game. The Englishman has hit double figures for league goals in each of the last five campaigns, so he won’t be easy to replace.
City paid £49m to sign Sterling from Liverpool and are likely to want every penny of that back this summer. The 27-year-old also takes home £300k-per-week/£15.6m-a-year, so Chelsea would be paying a tidy sum to procure his signature.
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