Raheem Sterling leaves Chelsea by mutual consent

Raheem Sterling has left Chelsea by mutual consent and is seeking a fresh start, the club confirmed. The 31-year-old winger was Chelsea’s highest earner and had 18 months remaining on a contract worth £325,000 a week. Sterling struggled to produce his best form after joining from Manchester City in 2022.

He was the first signing under the Todd Boehly–Clearlake Capital ownership and was hailed as a marquee addition, but his time at Chelsea has been described as a disappointment. The forward was inconsistent in his first two seasons and was loaned to Arsenal last season. He has been out of favour since the summer of 2024, has not played this season and had been training away from the first team.

Chelsea’s shift in transfer policy towards younger players on heavily incentivised long-term deals, combined with Sterling’s wages and reluctance to move away from London, made a permanent sale difficult. Fulham, Crystal Palace and West Ham showed interest this month, and Sterling is now understood to be open to leaving London.

Sterling is a former Liverpool academy graduate who won multiple honours at Manchester City and played a prominent role for England, scoring three times at Euro 2020 as the nation reached the final. He has not played for England since the 2022 World Cup and was awarded an MBE in 2021.

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