Raheem Sterling’s priority is to resolve his contractual situation at Chelsea before holding talks with suitors over a move before the transfer window closes.
Sterling is not part of the plans at Stamford Bridge but has three years left on terms worth more than £300,000 per week.
The 29-year-old forward is preparing for further dialogue with Chelsea in the coming days, prior to potentially choosing a new club.
Enquiries about the conditions of a possible transfer have been made by multiple sides, though that has not translated into concrete negotiations so far — with the initial focus being on Sterling’s contractual issue.
While Aston Villa were reported to be keen on Sterling, they have no firm interest in the former Manchester City attacker and are not pursuing the matter.
Sterling has not featured in either of Chelsea’s opening games of the Premier League season or the Conference League play-off first leg against Servette.
He was a regular last season under Mauricio Pochettino before new head coach Enzo Maresca bolstered his attacking options with the signings of Joao Felix, Pedro Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Marc Guiu this summer.
“I am not saying Raheem is not a good player, but I prefer different kinds of wingers,” Maresca said last week.
“We have a big squad and it’s impossible to give all of them minutes. If they are looking for minutes it’s better for them to leave. I try to be honest.”
Sterling joined Chelsea in the summer of 2022 in a £47.5million move from City and has gone on to make 81 appearances for the club, scoring 19 goals and adding 12 assists.
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(Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
