Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Raheem Sterling after agreeing individual terms with the Manchester City forward.
Sterling has actually told City it is the right time for him to leave and he is expected to become the very first marquee signing under the new ownership at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are intending to finalise a charge of about ₤ 45m in the next 24 hours and they hope the England international will join the team when they fly on Saturday to the US for their pre-season tour.
The deal would be a major increase for Thomas Tuchel, who has held positive talks with Sterling about where he prepares to utilize him. Chelsea lacked ruthlessness last season and require additions in attack after permitting Romelu Lukaku to go back to Internazionale on loan.
Sterling, who has actually won four Premier League titles since joining City from Liverpool in 2015, will wish to boost Chelsea's cutting edge. The 27‑year‑old forward, who drew in interest from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, scored 17 goals last season.
Nevertheless Sterling has actually not been a routine starter for Pep Guardiola's side in the greatest games over the past two years and he wishes to leave City, who have actually offered Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal for ₤ 45m, to play more frequently. He has actually not fallen out with the club, is happy to Guardiola for enhancing his tactical awareness and his thinking is not based around money. Sterling, whose ₤ 300,000-a-week contract runs out next year, has gotten guarantees from Tuchel that he will be a key player at Chelsea.
Tuchel is eager to construct a more flexible, flexible attack. Lukaku did not fit into his system after a ₤ 97.5 m move from Inter last summer, and Chelsea understand it will not be easy to bring in a No 9. Robert Lewandowski is a possible target but the prolific Bayern Munich striker stays set on joining Barcelona.
That has actually left Chelsea to concentrate on active wide players who can chip in with goals. They concurred ₤ 55m charge with Leeds for Raphinha last week, just for the Brazil winger to indicate that his choice is to join Barcelona. It remains to be seen whether Barça, who have been swallowed up by a major monetary crisis, can concur a fee. The La Liga club remain in talks with Ousmane Dembélé over a contract extension. Chelsea have actually taken a look at signing the winger on a totally free.
Chelsea, who could let Hakim Ziyech sign up with Milan on loan, are likewise focused on strengthening their defence after losing Andreas Christensen to Barcelona and Antonio Rüdiger to Real Madrid. They are likewise in talks with City over a deal for Nathan Aké, who is keen to play more regularly. It is likewise comprehended that Matthijs de Ligt stays open to joining Chelsea in spite of Bayern targeting the Juventus defender. Other targets for Chelsea include Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and Sevilla's Jules Koundé.
Central midfield is likewise a problem for Chelsea, with N'Golo Kanté and Jorginho out of contract next summer. They are keeping track of developments around Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong, who is a key target for Manchester United, and have an eye on Sporting Lisbon's Matheus Nunes, who has also been watched by City. Nevertheless Chelsea have made no move for Nunes.
Chelsea are also considering a move for Cristiano Ronaldo, who wants to leave United. Todd Boehly, the club's new chairman, is interested by the idea of signing Ronaldo but there are doubts over whether Tuchel desires the Portugal forward.
