Report: Raheem Sterling Transfers from Manchester City to Chelsea in $66M Deal
It's not Cristiano Ronaldo, but Chelsea has finally made its first signing of the Todd Boehly era, landing Raheem Sterling on a $66 million deal from Manchester City, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Sterling's contract with the Premier League side runs through 2027 and has the option for an additional year, Romano added.
The news of Sterling's deal with Chelsea comes after the Mirror's John Cross reported that Liverpool made a last-minute bid for the England international. Boehly's club also beat out Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona for his services.
Sterling's services became less of a need at the Etihad following the addition of Jack Grealish last summer. In addition, City can rely on new transfer Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez in attack.
That said, Sterling is a solid addition to manager Thomas Tuchel's squad for the 2022-23 season and beyond. The 27-year-old notched 13 goals and five assists in 30 Premier League matches for Manchester City last season, in addition to three goals and two assists in 12 Champions League matches.
Sterling had been with City since 2015. In his seven seasons with the club, he tallied 91 goals and 43 assists in 225 Premier League matches. Before that, he spent four seasons with Liverpool from 2011-12 to 2014-15.
Sterling should be an upgrade from Romelu Lukaku, who was ultimately a disappointment in his return to Stamford Bridge in 2021-22. After he tallied eight goals in 26 matches, the Blues ended up loaning Lukaku to Inter Milan for the 2022-23 season.
Sterling should also mesh well with a Chelsea attack that includes Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount.
While Chelsea has signed Sterling, the club could also push to sign Ronaldo from Manchester United this summer. The Portuguese superstar reportedly wants to part ways with the Red Devils, who were initially hesitant to move him, so he can play in the Champions League next season.
However, Sky Sports recently reported that United is finally willing to listen to offers for Ronaldo.
Boehly met with Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, in Portugal last month to discuss the possibility of the Portuguese forward joining the Blues, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein and Dan Sheldon.
So, it seems like a move to Stamford Bridge isn't out of the question for Ronaldo at this point. If the Blues were to acquire him, their chances of winning a third Champions League trophy would skyrocket.
