FOUR clubs who could sign Raheem Sterling this summer

Muhammad Butt

Updated: 22 Aug 2024 10:14 BST
4 min read

Raheem Sterling, Chelsea, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling has been told he can leave Stamford Bridge this summer by new boss Enzo Maresca.

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"I spoke with Raheem before the City game," said Maresca in a news conference on Wednesday, "I said he is going to struggle to get minutes with us and this is the reason why he is out of the squad."

© IMAGO - Enzo Maresca has told Raheem Sterling he won't play at Chelsea.

Surplus Sterling

The Chelsea boss has made it clear in no uncertain terms that Sterling is not in his plans. The England international is far from alone here, but his short time at Stamford Bridge may already be up.

He has to seek a move for the good of his career. Training with the outcast group at Chelsea (a collection of 15 or more players not in the manager's plans who train separately from the main group at Cobham) would be devastating for his mental health.

© IMAGO - Sterling has scored 19 goals in 81 games for Chelsea.

So where could he go now?

Here are four possible solutions:

Raheem Sterling at... Aston Villa

Unai Emery has got Aston Villa moving in the right direction. They're organised, talented and committed. They are a super side, however in the summer they lost the sensational Moussa Diaby, and were linked with a move for Joao Felix to replace him. So they are clearly in the market for a winger, and Sterling would be a fabulously cut-price one.

Sterling would bring his winning mentality from Manchester City and help apply it to an organised team (unlike the chaos of Chelsea). He could have a lot to teach Villa's young forwards and would also get to play Champions League football again.

Raheem Sterling at... Arsenal

Sterling's love of London is well-known, and a move to Arsenal would bring with it the massive benefit of not having to move house and leave his home town!

Arsenal are one of the two best teams in England and unquestionably one of the top 5 across Europe (although whether they have the nous to play that well in European competition remains to be seen).

And the Gunners are in the market for a back-up winger on loan. A role that could suit Sterling, coming into an organised and focused sporting project like to the one he thrived in back at Man City. He may not play every week, but he'd be back in the Champions League and challenging for titles too!

Raheem Sterling at... Barcelona

This is more far-fetched but as Barcelona are in somewhat desperate need of a winger due to being turned down by Nico Williams, a cheeky loan for Raheem Sterling could suit them Blaugrana down to the ground.

Thanks to his City experience, Sterling knows positional play and, provided he could adapt to living in Catalunya, may turn out to be a remarkable success story for Hansi Flick's side, making runs off the ball and bagging tap-ins galore.

Raheem Sterling at... Juventus

Thiago Motta's revolution at Juventus produced a resounding 3-0 win to start the Serie A season and a highlight of the performance was the dynamic wing-play from Samu Mbangula and Tim Weah. Those two are very young, so adding a veteran like Sterling to the locker room as a mentor and guide could suit Juventus and Sterling quite nicely.