Chelsea are reportedly stepping up their interest in Man City forward Raheem Sterling, as the England international prepares to enter the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium.
The Blues’ interest in Sterling comes at a time when new owner Todd Boehly is set to gift manager Thomas Tuchel with a £200million war chest to complete an overhaul of the squad this summer.
Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona have all been linked with a move for the 27-year-old but it is Chelsea who are weighing up a bid according to the Daily Telegraph.
The report states that Sterling’s exit from City this summer is looking increasingly likely as the Premier League champions will not want to lose their £49m investment for free in 2023.
Sterling could be the first of many summer arrivals in west London as Chelsea look to bolster their squad with a number of players looking likely to leave.
Antonio Rudiger has already confirmed his free transfer to European champions Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen’s contract is also due to expire later this month.
There are other issues within Tuchel’s squad that will need addressing this summer, including the future of wantaway striker Romelu Lukaku.
Chelsea paid Inter Milan £97.5m for the Belgian in August 2021 but he has been unable to find his feet during a second spell at Stamford Bridge, scoring 15 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions.
Lukaku has made no secret of his desire to return to the San Siro, with Chelsea and Inter Milan said to be locked in discussions regarding a loan for the 29-year-old.
The futures of Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner also remain uncertain with the club open to the departures of all three players in the upcoming transfer window.
Marcos Alonso is another Blues star who could call time on his Chelsea career, with a move back to his native Spain on the cards despite having 12 months remaining on his contract.
Source: Talk Sport