sport news Chelsea claim they are not trying to sell Raheem Sterling and he wants to stay ... trends now
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Booed by his own supporters who demanded his substitution at Stamford Bridge, Raheem Sterling is nearing a summer in which his commitment to Chelsea could be tested and vice versa.
Sterling signed from Manchester City in July 2022 for £47.5million. He is under contract until 2027 with the option of an additional year and on a £300,000-per-week wage which makes him their most handsome earner. Only a handful of clubs could afford such a salary and it does not take a great deal of calculation to work out where those buyers are based.
Yet as of Sunday, while Sterling was enduring another difficult day in a Chelsea shirt, there was no indication from insiders that the 29-year-old’s name was a topic of discussion when Todd Boehly travelled to Riyadh to meet the Saudi Pro League’s director of football Michael Emenalo.
Though it may sound like an unusual set-up, Emenalo is responsible for overseeing the international signings made by Saudi sides, with the former Chelsea technical director in the powerful position of influencing the 18 clubs in what they need and who they can get.
Despite that rendezvous in Riyadh fuelling speculation of a sale, those close to Chelsea and Sterling currently insist they are happily connected.
Raheem Sterling is facing a pivotal summer with regards to his Chelsea career
Sterling missed a penalty against Leicester and was booed off by his own supporters
From the club’s side, they claim they are not actively looking to shift Sterling, even if they are interested in signing Athletic Bilbao’s 21-year-old left winger Nico Williams this summer.
From the player’s side, they say he is committed to Chelsea, determined to make a success of his time at Stamford Bridge and not interested in a move to Saudi. If he was, he could have made that switch last summer.
