Raheem Sterling emerges as transfer target for Saudi side Al-Ahli throwing Chelsea future into doubt
CHELSEA are open to offloading Raheem Sterling as they seek to reduce their wage bill.
SunSport can reveal Saudi Pro League side Al-Alhi are leading the chase for the ex-Liverpool and Manchester City man.
But there is also interest in clubs from AC Milan and Napoli for the England forward.
Sterling has been told he will not be part of the first team at the start of the new season, and that the club would welcome bids for his services.
But his sky high wages – which are around £300,000 a week – will make any move difficult to finalise.
A loan switch to Italy is one option but even then the West London side are likely to be left having to pay a chunk of his wages.
The 29-year-old endured a difficult season last year which saw him forced to shrug off the boo-boys.
Sterling was jeered by his own fans as he was substituted after a nightmare performance in their 4-2 FA Cup quarter-final win against Leicester at Stamford Bridge.
The 29-year-old missed a penalty, wasted a one-on-one chance, blazed a free-kick over the bar and came under fire from supporters.
Blues fans have been critical of Sterling since his £47.5million move from Man City in 2022, but reports have previously claimed how he wanted to fight to win them over.
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He reportedly snubbed interest from Saudi Arabia last summer and still has two-and-a-half years left on his contract and is thought be generally happy at Stamford Bridge.
His wages and the asking price Chelsea would seek are also likely to rule out a move to any rival Premier League club.
If the Chelsea winger does switch to Saudi Arabia he could become one of the three highest-paid players in the Saudi Pro League behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
Chelsea pre-season tour squad and notable absentees
Goalkeepers:
Robert Sanchez
Marcus Bettinelli
Eddie Beach
Lucas Bergstrom
Defenders:
Reece James
Malo Gusto
Josh Acheampong
Wesley Fofana
Axel Disasi
Tosin Adarabioyo
Benoit Badiashile
Levi Colwill
Ben Chilwell
Renato Veiga
Midfielders:
Carney Chukwuemeka
Romeo Lavia
Lesley Ugochukwu
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Andrey Santos
Forwards:
Nicolas Jackson
Christopher Nkunku
Raheem Sterling
Mykhailo Mudryk
Noni Madueke
Armando Broja
Tyrique George
Marc Guiu
Angelo
Notable absentees:
(Internationals)
Cole Palmer
Conor Gallagher
Enzo Fernandez
Marc Cucurella
(Left out ahead of possible loan/sale)
Romelu Lukaku
Omari Kellyman
Alfie Gilchrist
Bashir Humphreys
Cesare Casadei
David Datro Fofana
Deivid Washington
Djordje Petrovic