Raheem Sterling’s Chelsea exit confirmed as £325,000-per-week contract ripped up
Raheem Sterling has had his contract with Chelsea terminated.
The 31-year-old last played for the Blues 18 months ago and was part of the ‘bomb squad’ in the summer transfer window, alongside defender Axel Disasi, as the club struggled to offload the players. However, while Disasi has returned to training under Liam Rosenior, Sterling’s contract has been ripped up.
Chelsea had been exploring options for Sterling to leave in the January transfer window but no realistic move was possible, with the England international earning £325,000-per-week.
(Image: Getty Images)
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The Blues confirmed his exit in a statement that read: “Raheem Sterling has today departed Chelsea Football Club by mutual agreement, bringing to an end three-and-a-half seasons as our player, having signed in the summer of 2022 when he was transferred from Manchester City.
“We thank Raheem for the contribution he made while a Chelsea player and wish him well for the next stage in his career.”
Sterling was the highest-paid player at Stamford Bridge, and it’s been reported that the likely cost of paying the winger out of the remaining 18 months of his contract is around £22million.
Chelsea loaned Sterling to Arsenal last season in an effort to get a portion of his staggering wages off the books. He scored just once in 28 appearances for the Gunners and unsurprisingly a permanent move never materialised.
Sterling reportedly had offers to leave on loan in the summer but the 82-time England international rejected approaches from Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen. It’s understood he wanted to remain in London to stay close to his family.
The winger was the first big-money signing of the Todd Boehly era when he made the £47.5m switch from Manchester City.
He scored 19 goals in 81 games, including one in his last Chelsea appearance on the final day of the 2023/24 season in a 2-1 win over Bournemouth. A runners-up medal in the 2024 EFL Cup final was the closest he got to lifting silverware for the Blues.
