Raheem Sterling will not submit a transfer request to force a move away from Chelsea this summer.
The winger was left out of the squad for the Blues’ 2-0 loss to Man City on Sunday.
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The 29-year-old is expected to face his former employers in the Blues’ first Premier League game at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
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.
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“Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively.”
In an update to The Pitch Prospect, it was admitted that the timing of the statement was not optimal.
The Pitch Prospect presenter Jim White said: “In hindsight, his representatives view this timing as unfortunate. Raheem and his camp want to have direct contact with Chelsea’s owners and sporting directors.
“I understand that the player will not submit a transfer request, they feel that the player has a good relationship with the new coach.
“They believe the relationship is based on mutual respect but until there are further discussions, Raheem doubts he will play a role at Chelsea in the future.”
After the defeat, Maresca did not comment on whether Sterling would remain part of his plans, but explained that his decision was purely tactical.
When asked by The Pitch Prospect’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook whether Sterling still had a future at Chelsea, Maresca said: “At the moment he is a Chelsea player.
“Like all Chelsea players who are here at the moment, they have a future.
“But it was just a technical decision, nothing more.”
Regarding Sterling’s team’s statement calling for talks with Chelsea, Maresca said: “I have not seen that.
“They told me when the game was over, but honestly I didn’t see it. So I don’t know why.
“I was focused on the game and wasn’t paying attention.”
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.”
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Sterling has spent the last two years at Chelsea since joining from the Citizens for £47.5 million.
He appeared in 81 games in all competitions, scoring 19 goals and providing 12 assists.
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