According to ESPN, Raheem Sterling wants to clarify his future at Chelsea. The 29-year-old forward sparked speculation after being left out of the Blues’ squad for their opening game against Manchester City.
Sterling featured in all six of Chelsea’s pre-season games on the club’s US tour but was omitted from the starting lineup for the opening fixture of the new campaign. Mauricio Pochettino explained his decision as being purely tactical and insists Sterling is a key player who he wants to be part of his plans. However, he also mentioned that with such a big squad, some players will have to move on.
After losing to Manchester City, Pochettino reiterated his pre-match stance: “It was a tactical decision. We are going to sit down in the next day or two to discuss it. There’s no other reason. All the players are part of Chelsea. If they are players at Chelsea, we are going to use them in the best way possible but that doesn’t go over the tactical need.”
ESPN report that Juventus are interested in Sterling. However, Sterling’s agent has responded: “Raheem has three years remaining on his contract with Chelsea. He returned to England two weeks earlier than planned to undertake personal training and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach. He has built a strong working relationship with the new coach.”
“Raheem has always given his all for Chelsea and the fans and has shown them the utmost respect. We have been in active dialogue and Chelsea have confirmed Raheem’s future at the club. We therefore wish to clarify the situation. We will continue to support Raheem to positively start the new season.”
Sterling joined Chelsea from Manchester City in July 2022 for a fee of £47.5m. He has made 81 appearances for the Blues, scoring 19 goals. However, with the emergence of young wingers at the club, Sterling appears to be no longer considered a key part of the club’s plans and a move away from Stamford Bridge seems inevitable.
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