Chelsea sell Sterling: Romano's '100%' guarantee as Ornstein confirms decision

Tom Weber

Updated: 21 Aug 2024 17:04 BST
3 min read

Chelsea and Raheem Sterling are determined to part ways before Deadline Day.

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The Blues winger has now joined the long list of Chelsea outcasts after being omitted from the Premier League opener against Man City. Head coach Enzo Maresca has frankly told the 29-year-old that he has no future at the club.

Subsequently, the Italian tactician was forced to also confirm the news while talking to the media ahead of Chelsea's Conference League qualifier against Servette. He did so, however, in a brutal and humiliating fashion.

“I just try to be honest,” Maresca said. "I spoke with Raheem before the Man City game, I said he will struggle to get minutes with us...I am not saying Raheem is not a good player but I prefer different kinds of wingers – that’s why.

"It is not my problem [how long a player’s contract is], I'm here to take decisions. I'm not thinking about how many years on the contract, it's not my job. If they have a six-year contract but I don't like them? They can have a 20-year contract, I don't care"

Sterling plan confirmed

The idea now is for Sterling to leave Chelsea on a permanent transfer before the window shuts an hour before midnight on August 30. This has been confirmed by both Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein of The Athletic.

The former has revealed that Chelsea are '100%' certain that the winger will depart the club this month, while the latter states that Sterling has accepted his fate and is already exploring his options.

It is not yet clear where the former England international could end up. Juventus were previously linked, but a move to Turin was played down by Fabrizio Romano at the time. Talks between Sterling and Chelsea are scheduled for the coming days to find an amicable solution.