Raheem Sterling’s Chelsea career is over. The same goes for his time at Chelsea. The club has agreed to buy out the 31-year-old’s contract, which has 18 months remaining. This is similar to the deal we made with Ross Barkley a few years ago.
The terms of the buyout are confidential, but The Telegraph reports that Chelsea’s savings are “significant” (i.e. Sterling agreed to leave for less than what is still owed to him over the next year and a half under the terms of his original five-year contract agreed in 2022).
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Chelsea issued the briefest of official statements, thanking Raheem for his “contribution during his time as a Chelsea player” and wishing him “all the best in the next stage of his career”. It’s a bit disappointing for a model professional, who had been a leader and key player on the team for several years with us (19 goals and 15 assists in 81 games), to then be told in no uncertain terms that he was more than required and that he’d better find himself a new home.
As a free agent, it should be much easier for Sterling to find a new home before the transfer window (as well as the registration window) closes in a few days.
Good luck to you Raheem and thank you for everything. I’m sure we all wish things could be better. That goal against Dortmund was one of the best moments of the BlueCo’s first two years.
