Chelsea have reached a deal with Premier League champions Manchester City to sign England forward Raheem Sterling for up to 50 million pounds ($60 million), British media reported on Saturday.
Sterling is set to sign a contract until 2027 with the option of an extra year, according to the reports.
He will become Chelsea’s first major signing under the new ownership led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
The 27-year-old Sterling played 47 games in all competitions for City last season, scoring 17 times and providing nine assists.
After starting his senior career with Liverpool, Sterling moved to City in July 2015 and established himself as a regular in their frontline, netting 131 times in 337 games for Pep Guardiola’s side.
He has won the league title and League Cup four times each as well as one FA Cup during his time at the Etihad Stadium.
Sterling, however, fell down the pecking order last season, playing only a limited role in City’s run to the league title and the Champions League semi-final, with Guardiola often preferring Phil Foden or Jack Grealish on the left.
He did not make the lineup for either leg of last season’s Champions League semi-final defeat by Real Madrid and started only six of City’s last 11 games in the league.
Capped 77 times by England, Sterling will add much-needed firepower to Chelsea’s attack following their struggles in front of goal last season and the departure of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan.
Thomas Tuchel’s team finished third last season, 19 points behind champions City. They kick off the 2022-23 Premier League season with a trip to Everton on Aug. 6.
Vinicius Jr. extends Real Madrid contract, reports transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano
Mumbai City FC complete signing of 34-year-old Rostyn Griffiths from Melbourne City FC
Indian Super League franchise Mumbai City FC on Sunday announced the signing of central defender Rostyn Griffiths.
The 34-year-old joins the Islanders from fellow City Football Group side and A-League outfit Melbourne City FC after putting pen to paper on a one-year contract which runs until the end of the 2022/23 season.
He won the A-League Premiers and Championship double in the 2020/21 season and also featured in the club’s debut continental campaign at the 2022 AFC Champions League, before getting his hands on a second consecutive Premiers title in 2021/22 with the Melbourne-based club.
Griffiths started his career with then-Premier League side Blackburn Rovers before moving to Australia to ply his trade. He made his A-league debut with Adelaide United and went on to represent North Queensland Fury and Central Coast Mariners, where he had a very successful spell, winning the Premiers in the 2011/12 season.
Griffiths then featured for China’s Guangzhou City and the Dutch club Roda JC before returning to A-league with Perth Glory.
Prior to joining Melbourne City, he turned out for Uzbek side Pakhtakor Tashkent in the 2017/18 Uzbekistan Super League.
He has a total of 321 appearances and 23 goals to his name in his club career so far.
“Personally, this is a new challenge in my life and I’m ready for it. The club’s vision and ambition is a huge factor in helping my decision to come here along with what Des Buckingham intends to build here at Mumbai City,” Griffiths was quoted as saying in a media release.
The club’s head coach Des Buckingham described the 34-year-old as a top player.
Nottingham Forest signs left back Richards from Bayern
Nottingham Forest strengthened its squad for its first English Premier League campaign since 1999 on Sunday with the signing of English left back Omar Richards from Bayern Munich.
Richards arrives following a year at Bayern spent largely on the bench after joining the German champion from English second-tier team Reading. He has signed a four-year contract with Forest.
“I’m thrilled to return to England by joining Nottingham Forest at such an exciting time,” Richards said in a statement. “The club has enjoyed an incredible last few months and there’s great ambitions for the Premier League return.”
Richards appeared in 12 Bundesliga games last season as Bayern won the German title but only played the full 90 minutes in one of those.
He is Forest’s third signing from the German league this season after Mainz defender Moussa Niakhaté and Union Berlin striker Taiwo Awoniyi.
Southampton sign Nigeria midfielder Aribo
Southampton have signed Nigeria midfielder Joe Aribo from Scottish side Rangers on a four-year contract, the Premier League club said on Saturday.
The London-born 25-year-old joined Rangers from Charlton Athletic in 2019 and scored 26 goals in nearly 150 appearances, helping them win their first Premiership crown in 10 years in 2020-21 and the Scottish Cup the following season.
No financial details were given but British media said the transfer fee was £6 million ($7.22 million) and could rise to 10 million pounds with add-ons.
The versatile Aribo, who can play across the midfield and also as a forward, has earned 20 caps with his national team after making his debut three years ago.
“Joe is a player with many qualities to his game, and we’re very excited to welcome him to the squad in time for the pre-season trip to Austria,” Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuettl said.
“We believe Joe can bring energy and creativity to our side. Feeling comfortable in different positions is very helpful for a manager and shows he has a high level of football intelligence, with the ability to take on new information quickly.”
Saints have also signed Mateusz Lis, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Romeo Lavia and Gavin Bazunu in the close season.
Southampton finished 15th last season with 40 points from 38 matches. They visit Tottenham Hotspur on Aug. 6 for their first match of the new campaign.
With input from agencies.
