Premier League side hold 'big advantage' in chase for Chelsea star Raheem Sterling - Reports
According to a report by The Boot Room, Crystal Palace have emerged as the favorites to land Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling. The England international is out of favor at Stamford Bridge, with new boss Enzo Maresca looking to trim his squad before the transfer window closes.
Sterling joined Chelsea from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 for a reported €56 million fee. He has made 81 appearances across competitions for the London giants, bagging 19 goals and 12 assists. The 29-year-old's current contract runs until 2027 and his reported £300,000 wage could make a potential move difficult.
Crystal Palace reportedly want to sign the winger, who is also keen to remain in England and preferably London. Italian giants Juventus are also seemingly keeping tabs on Sterling but will try to sign Porto's Nico Gonzalez first.
Despite his future at Chelsea looking bleak, Sterling boasts good numbers in the Premier League. The former Liverpool star has bagged 123 goals and 63 assists in 379 English top-flight appearances, winning the title four times. He is also a seasoned English international with 82 caps and 20 goals for the Three Lions.
Chelsea boss explains excluding Raheem Sterling from Premier League squad
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca explained why he excluded Raheem Sterling from his Premier League squad that faced Manchester City last weekend. The Englishman has been tagged surplus to requirements at the club following another summer of overhauling the squad.
Speaking about his decision to leave Sterling out of his team, Maresca told BBC:
"Brutal? I don't think so. I try to be honest. I can repeat again if it's not clear: I spoke with Raheem before the City game. I said he is going to struggle to get minutes with us and this is the reason why he is out of the squad."
"I spoke with Raheem one-on-one the day before City and I explained him exactly the situation. I didn't see Raheem after the game. He is training apart, as I said, but in case I sit with Raheem, I will tell him exactly the same things that I already told him. I don't have anything new to tell him because I was quite clear," he added.
Maresca concluded:
"I'm not working with 42 or 43 players. You like to say we have 42 or 43 players but more than 15 players are training apart, they are not with the team. I don't see them, so it's not a mess like it looks from outside. Absolutely not. As I said many times, many things can happen in the last 10 days, the last week, so we'll see."