West Ham handed major transfer boost in pursuit of £48m Chelsea ace as major decision made
Julen Lopetegui’s side are hopeful of securing Blues outcast following Enzo Maresca admission
West Ham have been handed a huge boost as links between the London Stadium side and Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling grow.
The 29-year-old winger was handed the brutal news by new Blues head coach Enzo Maresca that he would no longer be set to get much, if any, game time at Chelsea with Maresca telling reporters: “We have a big squad, for me it’s impossible to give everyone minutes. So if they’re looking for minutes, probably it is better to leave.
“I’m not saying he’s not a good player, but I prefer different kinds of wingers. I spoke with Raheem before Manchester City, I said that he is going to struggle to get minutes with us.”
It did not take too long for the transfer links to come flooding in with Saudi Arabia Pro League side Al-Ahli reportedly showing significant interest in signing the winger who cost the Blues £47.5m in 2022. Serie A’s Juventus were also said to be interested in offering the England international with 123 top flight goals to his name a life-line, while reports from HITC suggested that both Crystal Palace and West Ham had also considered a move.
While Al-Ahli were considered to have the better financial means to lure the £325,000-a-week ex-Manchester City star to their club, Sterling has reportedly confirmed that he does not wish to leave the Premier League and, in a bid to return to the international squad, does not want a Saudi Pro League move.
Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol took to X (formerly Twitter) to report: “Raheem Sterling wants to stay in the Premier League. Moving to Saudi Arabia is not an option for him at the moment as his family are settled in England and he wants to play for his country again.
“He knows where he stands and he knows he has no future at Chelsea. Open and honest dialogue is now required to find him a new club in a permanent deal. Unlike many other players, Sterling’s Chelsea contract does not have a clause which reduces his salary if the club are not in the Champions League. Sterling was the first major signing after Chelsea’s ownership took over the club two years ago.”
Chelsea play Servette later today in the Europa Conference League play-off but as they currently have a squad of 42 players, Sterling has not made the cut to play at Stamford Bridge this evening, and has seen his coveted number nine shirt handed to new summer signing Pedro Neto. If West Ham can find a way to convince the ex-Liverpool starlet to reduce his wage demands, the Hammers could secure their most impressive transfer coup in some time.