Raheem Sterling’s camp is demanding talks with Chelsea about his future after the winger was ruled out against Manchester City.
The 29-year-old is expected to face his former employers in the Blues’ first Premier League game at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
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Sterling was already heavily involved in the preseason and was considered a possible regular player under new head coach Enzo Maresca.
But like his teammates Conor Gallagher, Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah, Armando Broja and Romelu Lukaku, he was overlooked by the Italian.
And since Chelsea considers these five players to be superfluous, questions immediately arose as to whether the West Londoners could sell the England international.
The striker’s team stressed that immediate clarity was needed on this matter.
A spokesman for Sterling said: “Raheem Sterling has a contract with Chelsea Football Club for the next three years.
“He returned to England two weeks early for individual training and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, with whom he has built a good working relationship.
“He remains as determined as ever to perform at his best for Chelsea FC and the fans he values so much.
“And given his mention in the club’s official pre-match material this week, we assumed Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s game in some capacity.
“As a camp, we have always had a positive dialogue with Chelsea FC and received assurances from him regarding Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to getting clarity on the situation.
“Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively.”
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Maresca explained that Sterling’s omission was purely tactical as he did not indicate that the decision was related to the transfer.
He explained: “It’s just a technical decision, there’s nothing more to say.”
“Managers are paid to make decisions and sometimes the players don’t like that.”
His comments come just a week after he described Sterling as an “important player” following the club’s 1-1 draw with Inter Milan.
The former Leicester head coach noted: “Obviously, he is one of our most important players alongside the others.”
“At the moment he sometimes plays from the start, sometimes he goes inside.
“The most important thing is that we give him playing time. And he does that well.”
Following Sterling’s team’s statement, his former Liverpool teammate Jamie Carragher criticised the decision to speak out ahead of Chelsea’s season opener.
The expert posted on X: “Big fan of Raheem as a player and boy. Not a fan of the Chelsea squad with the owners etc… But this statement is ridiculous!”
“‘As a camp………..!’ ‘We look forward to gaining clarity…….!!’
“No statement necessary, especially not an hour before kick-off!! Just play better.”
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Sterling has spent the last two years at Chelsea since joining from the Citizens for £47.5 million.
He scored 19 goals and provided 12 assists in 81 matches in all competitions.
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