(Football news) England international Raheem Sterling has agreed personal terms with Chelsea ahead of his departure from the Etihad Stadium. Thomas Tuchel identified him as a target following the departure of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan and Manchester City are keen to offload the 27 year old this summer instead of losing him for free next year when his contract expires. Pep Guardiola has already stated that "I don't like to keep players that are unhappy" and City will look for about £50m for the transfer. 

Sterling will prove to be a valuable addition for Chelsea and the transfer would work for both parties. With City signing Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez, Sterling’s first team opportunities would be limited if he stayed with the reigning champions and considering that the 2022 World Cup is on the horizon, playing regularly in the first team at the highest level is Sterling’s priority in order to be selected by Gareth Southgate. The 27 year old has scored 165 goals in 360 appearances for Liverpool and City and will look to continue his form at Stamford Bridge.

It’s quite telling that Manchester City are willing to sell two strikers, Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal and Raheem Sterling to Chelsea, a clear indication of how well the reigning champions have recruited and their awareness of the fact that both these London based clubs are no threat to their ambitions. It’s a reality that Premier League fans need to come to terms with, as the financial power of England’s top flight far exceeds other leagues and transfers between the top 6 will become more frequent than ever before. 

While Sterling might not be the ‘exciting’ signing or the statement that Chelsea’s new owners would like to make this transfer window, he might very well be the most important addition this summer. The Blues have been linked to Cristiano Ronaldo, who would be both exciting and a statement but a transfer for the Portuguese superstar will be complicated to say the least, especially considering that Manchester United don’t want to sell their prized asset and that Ronaldo, at the age of 37 will only be a temporary solution for the Blues if he were to join. 

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