Crystal Palace join transfer race to sign Raheem Sterling from Chelsea after Enzo Maresca stripped winger of No7 shirt

CRYSTAL PALACE have entered the race to sign Raheem Sterling, according to reports.

The Chelsea winger, 29, is on the hunt for an escape route out of Chelsea.

New Blues boss Enzo Maresca does not see the former Manchester City star as part of his plans for this season.

And therefore Sterling is training away from the first-team squad and has been transfer listed by Chelsea.

He also had his No7 shirt ripped away from him and given to new signing Pedro Neto in a bitter blow.

Now according to the Standard, Palace are keen on exploring a deal to sign Sterling.

The Eagles want a new attacker after selling Michael Olise to Bayern Munich.

And Sterling could fit the bill – and enable the Englishman to stay in London which would be a major boost for his settled family.

However, any deal – whether that is a permanent transfer or loan – could be complicated due to his mammoth £325,000-a-week wages.

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With a week left of the transfer window, Sterling knows there is not much time to sort out his future after being pushed aside by Maresca alongside Ben Chilwell, Romelu Lukaku, Kepa Arrizabalaga and others.

Aston Villa have also shown interest and have even held talks with the player’s representatives.

However, like Palace, Villa will not be able to match his current salary and therefore there is an acceptance Sterling will need to take a pay cut to stay in the Premier League.

Chelsea also know they must expect to take a whopping deficit on the £47.5million they paid City for him in 2022 as one of Todd Boehly’s first marquee signings.

Juventus could also make a move while Sterling has ruled out a switch to Saudi Arabia in the hope of resurrecting his England career.

Sterling played in all six of Chelsea’s pre-season friendlies under Maresca.

But the no-nonsense Italian dropped a bombshell last Friday on the eve of the new Premier League season by informing Sterling he would not get game time.

That prompted a statement from Sterling’s camp who said: “As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation.”

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