Chelsea are readying a bid for Manchester City's Raheem Sterling, according to a report. The London club have been persistently linked with the 27-year-old over the past few weeks and it now seems a formal approach for the England man isn't far away.
Sterling is believed to be open to a move away from Manchester. The winger wants to be a guaranteed starter at his club, so his place in England's starting eleven is nailed on when the World Cup comes around.
Another factor in any potential move is Sterling's contractual status. The winger is heading into the final year of his contract, meaning his value is set to depreciate rapidly over the next season- which may explain why City are open to allowing the 27-year-old to move on.
Chelsea have been rumoured to be interested in the England international for a number of weeks and the transfer may now be moving a step closer. Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph is reporting that Chelsea are preparing an opening bid for Sterling, who is valued between £50-60million.
The report also states that Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid both hold an interest in the player, however a move to either seems unlikely. Barcelona were unable to afford Leeds United's Raphinha, who is valued at £65million, so it seems unlikely they'd be able to splash out a similar figure on Sterling. As for Real, there would be no guarantee of a starting spot in Madrid for Sterling, so Chelsea seem the likeliest move for the winger.
You'd imagine Sterling would be straight into the team at Stamford Bridge. Hakim Ziyech is linked with a move away from the club to AC Milan and the club lack real depth in the wing areas, so there'd be much less competition for the England star in London.
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