Raheem Sterling’s Next Career Move Made Official

The winger is looking to reignite his career after falling out of favour at Stamford Bridge.

Raheem Sterling has not played competitively this season. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

Chelsea and Raheem Sterling have parted ways after a mutual agreement to end his Stamford Bridge exile.

A £47.5 million ($65.4 million) signing to kick off the BlueCo era in the summer of 2022, Sterling was frozen out at the start of the 2024–25 campaign and has not played for Chelsea since, spending last season on an underwhelming loan with Arsenal before sitting on the sidelines for the first half of the current campaign.

“We thank Raheem for the contribution he made while a Chelsea player and wish him well for the next stage in his career,” Chelsea said in a statement as they confirmed Sterling’s departure.

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How Much Did Raheem Sterling’s Departure Cost Chelsea?

Sterling had been forced to train alone. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Sterling entered the final 18 months of his contract in January and, having struggled to find any suitors for the first four weeks of the transfer window, entered into negotiations over a potential contract termination.

The terms of Chelsea’s agreement with Sterling have not been made public, but BBC Sport notes negotiations were complicated by the winger’s bumper salary thought to be in the region of £325,000 per week. He was entitled to around £22 million in wages over the remainder of his contract.

Negotiations with Chelsea will likely have started at that point but where the two parties ultimately shook hands is yet to be revealed.

Chelsea had wanted to sell Sterling outright but finding clubs prepared to come anywhere close to his bumper salary packet proved impossible, forcing the Blues to pursue a contract termination instead.

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Raheem Sterling’s Preference for His Next Move

Sterling spent last season on loan with Arsenal. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Back in the summer, Sterling made his stance perfectly clear. He did not want to leave the city of London, and that is thought to remain the case.

Chelsea arranged a handful of potential loan exits for Sterling during the summer, with Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen among the clubs contacted, but the 31-year-old had no interest in heading overseas. He reportedly rejected the offers and chose to spend the following six months on the sidelines.

With the terms of his Chelsea contract no longer an issue, a number of new doors have opened for Sterling, whose wish of remaining in London could well be granted soon.

Fulham and West Ham United have both been named as suitors but offers from other London clubs could soon arrive, given Sterling’s availability as a free agent. Brentford, Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur are other London-based sides who will have been alerted to Sterling’s preference.

Given his is now unattached, Sterling can sign for a new team outside the transfer window, which closes on Feb. 2.

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What Does Raheem Sterling’s Exit Mean for Chelsea?

Liam Rosenior will look to the future. | Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images

Much will depend on the terms of Chelsea’s agreement with Sterling, but the winger’s departure brings an end to what has been an incredibly expensive headache around Stamford Bridge.

Since his surprise exile in the summer of 2024, Sterling has collected around £22 million in salary, with only a fraction of that contributed by Arsenal during his loan last season. To be freed of that commitment over the next 18 months is an obvious positive for the Blues.

Sterling’s departure also brings an end to Chelsea’s “bomb squad.” A number of players were ordered to train away from Enzo Maresca’s first team this season, with Sterling and Axel Disasi the only two who remained when the summer transfer window closed. The latter has since been offered a route back to the squad by Liam Rosenior.

Given Sterling was not part of Chelsea’s squad this season, the Blues will not be in the market for a direct replacement, having already bolstered out wide through the signings of Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens during the summer.

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