Chelsea have been in contact with Raheem Sterling, but football.london understands no official offer has been made just yet. A fee of £45million has been touted, with the 27-year-old having just 12 months remaining on his contract at Manchester City.
Sterling is handling negotiations himself as he looks to make the best decision in a footballing sense, with regular game time understood to be at the top of his priorities. Real Madrid have also expressed an interest in the former Liverpool man, but Chelsea want to bring him in to bolster their attacking options ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Todd Boehly, whose consortium completed its takeover of Chelsea at the end of May, has been appointed as the new sporting director on an interim basis following a major board reshuffle. Boehly, alongside Thomas Tuchel, will have a big impact on transfer-related activity in what is set to be one of the busiest windows for the club in some time.
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It's understood that Chelsea are chasing two new attacking players following Romelu Lukaku's loan switch to Inter Milan. Sterling is right at the top of the shortlist, alongside Richarlison and Ousmane Dembele. Christopher Nkunku has also been looked at, but the general consensus is that the RB Leipzig attacker will be too expensive this summer.
Talk over Dembele has cooled in recent days, with the Frenchman considering his future at Barcelona. Dembele's contract is set to expire at the end of the month, and he has interest from both Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain to consider.
Meanwhile, Richarlison is another top target for the Blues. A source told football.london that there is an understanding inside Everton that the Brazil international could be sold in the coming months with just over two months remaining on his contract at Goodison Park.
However, the Toffees will be demanding north of £50m for his services - a figure Chelsea will be keen to drive down should they act on their strong interest. Tuchel is a huge fan of Richarlison and his physical attributes that he has to offer.
Sterling could be the man Chelsea turn their attention to. Especially now, with the Lukaku deal complete, although not official, and the club's board situation all sorted out. It feels like the summer transfer window has now started for Chelsea Football Club.
Steve McManaman, who used to play for Manchester City, believes Sterling moving to Chelsea is the best situation for all parties. Speaking to Horseracing.net, McManaman said: "I think it'll [Chelsea] be a good move for Raheem because he's an excellent player.
"There is the fact that you're letting one of your players go to a title rival, but Pep Guardiola might be happy for him to do that because he knows he's going to keep Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish. Pep let Leroy Sane leave a couple of years ago, and we all thought he was a really good player. They still continued to go on and win the league.
"You just have to trust Pep and what he wants to do and what the player wants. If the player wants to play more games and tells the manager they want to leave, then that's football now."
Man City are understood to want to keep Sterling in their squad for the upcoming season, but the Premier League champions will not stand in the wingers' way should he want to depart. Guardiola said this earlier this month: "I have known Raheem [Sterling] for six seasons. I know him perfectly well.
"During that period, there are highs and lows. It's part of life. Teams are not honeymoons. There are problems, and we have to solve them.
"In the future? I don't know what will happen. The club decides. When the club extends contracts, I give my opinion, but the club takes the decision, always."
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