Why Chelsea might have to fork out £22m to terminate star's problematic contract
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It may cost Chelsea up to £22m to terminate Raheem Sterling's contract amid the club's effort to find suitors for the exiled winger ahead of the January transfer window deadline, according to reports.
There are only a few days left until the January window closes on February 2, and Sterling's situation at Chelsea remains disadvantageous for both parties.
Sterling is currently the only exiled player left at Chelsea, following Axel Disasi's return to the first-team training under Liam Rosenior.
It would not have been such a huge problem if Sterling had not been on a £325,000-a-week wages while being out of the picture.
It is obviously not ideal as well for Sterling from a career perspective.
According to the BBC, Chelsea's preference is still to sell the veteran winger, although a contract termination or a loan move remain possibilities.
The 31-year-old's high salary is said to be an obstacle to all three scenarios, with Chelsea likely having to pay the full £22m remaining on the final 18 months of his contract for any contract cancellation.
Obviously, there is hardly any incentive for Chelsea to do that unless they could negotiate a lower deal, but arranging a move has proved difficult so far.
The report mentions that Sterling previously turned down possible loan moves to Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen last summer, since he preferred to stay in London to stay close to his family.
Napoli have reportedly shown interest. However, unless Chelsea can convince him to sign with another club, Sterling would end up earning the highest salary in the squad to train alone for the rest of the season.
Rosenior could not provide any positive news regarding Sterling's situation either.
"No, at the moment, I've said what I've had to say on Raheem," Rosenior said in Tuesday's press conference when asked whether he had the chance to speak with Sterling.
"He's a player I have massive respect for. Huge respect for him as a person and for what he's achieved in the game.
"Now is not the right time to speak about his situation."
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.