Given the chaos at Chelsea and the uncertain future of the English winger at the club, a surprise transfer of Raheem Sterling to Saudi Arabia has been discussed.
Premier League legend Graeme Souness believes a move to the Middle East is the only realistic option for the 29-year-old if he wants to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
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Sterling was left out of Chelsea’s squad for their season-opening match against his former club Man City, sparking rumours of a possible exit before the August 30 transfer deadline.
He was not the only one, however. Vice-captain Ben Chilwell, last season’s stand-in captain Conor Gallagher and £98million striker Romelu Lukaku were also missing as the club look to trim down its 40-man squad after a series of big-spending transfer windows.
While Gallagher and Lukaku are set to move to Atletico Madrid and Napoli, Sterling has been tipped to remain in the Premier League, with Newcastle and even Crystal Palace being possible options.
Juventus and clubs in Turkey were also mentioned as possible next destinations.
However, with three years left on his contract at Chelsea, which pays him £325,000 a week, he is likely to have only one place to go if he wants to leave west London.
“Where is the market for Raheem Sterling? Saudi Arabia, end of story,” Souness told White and Jordan on The Pitch Prospect.
“And he won’t get the amount he wants again in England.
“I don’t think there is anyone in England who will pay the transfer fee that Chelsea would demand.”
Sterling’s departure seems to have become increasingly likely following comments from new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.
The striker’s omission from the squad for the match against City sparked a statement from his club officials questioning the decision, with the manager giving his reasoning after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat.
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“All I can say is that it was a technical decision,” said Maresca. “In the next few days we will see and clarify the situation.”
“All the players at the moment are Chelsea players. If they are Chelsea players, we will try to use them.”
“I want Raheem Sterling, but I want all the players we have and there is not enough room for all of them. So some will have to go.”
Chelsea’s decision to leave Sterling out was a calculated move, says Chelsea reporter Simon Johnson. Taking him out of the squad and making two big signings in his position was a clear signal that he had no future at the club.
“There have been suggestions that he is still seeking talks to clarify what is going on, but I think Chelsea are sending him a pretty clear message.
“Last week they signed Neto, left Sterling out of the squad on Sunday and now they are in the process of signing Joao Felix. I don’t think he really needs any more explanation.
“Chelsea have clearly decided to move on from Raheem Sterling and the question is whether they can get him out of the club before the transfer window closes.”
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Sterling moved from Man City to Chelsea in 2022 for a transfer fee of £47.5 million. The England international scored 31 direct goal contributions. [19 goals, 12 assists] in 81 appearances for the Blues.
His public statement on his dismissal drew heavy criticism from several experts, particularly given the timing of the announcement before his teammates had even entered the field on Sunday.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville was among these critics, although he admitted that there may have been other problems “behind the scenes” and not just his personal situation.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, the former defender said: “I can never condone a player making a statement an hour and a half before kick-off because he has colleagues and team-mates and I think you respect them.”
“Forget the club, forget the manager – that happened to Wayne Rooney once at United – you’re our teammate so don’t distract us from what we’re doing. So I think Raheem should probably go and talk to us and say that was bad timing.
“For Raheem, whom I love very much, I worked with him for a long time [with England]he is experienced and when he looks at things behind the scenes, he must see things that he doesn’t like and feel like he has to fight back.
“Maybe he’s thinking, ‘I need to make people aware of what’s going on here,’ because it’s unusual to make a statement.”