Online Reporter
LONDON. – Raheem Sterling has left Chelsea after the club agreed to mutually terminate his contract.
The 82-cap England international has been frozen out by the Blues all season.
He has not played a competitive game for the club since May 2024 – 619 days ago.
Sterling, 31, is now able to join another team as a free agent after talks with the club, though settlement terms are unclear.
Chelsea confirmed his departure in a statement that read: “Raheem Sterling has today departed Chelsea Football Club by mutual agreement, bringing to an end three-and-a-half seasons as our player, having signed in the summer of 2022 when he was transferred from Manchester City.
“We thank Raheem for the contribution he made while a Chelsea player and wish him well for the next stage in his career.”
His £325,000-a-week Chelsea deal was set to run until summer 2027.
Fulham, Napoli and West Ham have all expressed interest this month, with Sterling training away from Chelsea’s first team at the Cobham base. Bayern Munich showed late interest in a summer deal, though nothing formal ever materialised.
No new club will match Sterling’s current wage.
Paying up Sterling’s full contract would have cost £25m, a sum the Blues would not have been prepared to swallow.
The ex-Liverpool and Manchester City man has been seeking a move to a club in London, where his family are based, and has knocked back openings in Saudi Arabia in the past.
However, a longer contract abroad – amid interest from Napoli and Bayern – cannot be ruled out. – The Sun
Mathew Masinge