It’s the off-season for all club competition, almost all of the international play currently being staged are just meaningless friendlies, so you know what that means? It is indeed the summer silly season, i.e. time to talk some transfer rumors.
So with that in mind, let’s dive right in to the latest narratives surrounding Chelsea FC, a club that has yet to sign a single new player this summer. Given what new owner Todd Boehly has said publicly about Financial Fair Play, and transfer spending, well, could we see a new, more spend-thrift direction taking shape at Stamford Bridge?
Update: @ChelseaFC are now confident to close #Sterling deal from @ManCity. Transfer fee could be around £35millions. ? #CFC
Details ? https://t.co/aaH9JivdLP ? pic.twitter.com/9BYsVDuyLW— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) June 19, 2022
If so, you can’t imagine that Blues supporters would be too happy about it. But they will sign somebody, and that first player, could be- England winger Raheem Sterling? Yes, this is getting a ton of traction today, with Sky Sports saying “it would take a bid close to £60m” to get this deal over the line before deadline day.
Given how Sterling only had one year left on his current Manchester City deal, this price seems high. Meanwhile, in the tweet above, a different Sky Sports Reporter quotes a much lower amount; one that seems like it would be more realistic and appropriate.
You know that Sterling wants out, as that’s common knowledge. He even turned down Tottenham, but a move to this London club might make sense, as Chelsea are still trying to find themselves in attack and some players in the final third will be moving on this summer. (Thus they’ll need replacement)
If it goes through, then Raheem Sterling would move into rarified air- guys who have played for half of the the big six.
Even playing for two of these six clubs, during the course of one’s career, is rather uncommon. Featuring for three is extremely unique.
Moving on, but staying with the Man City theme, they are rivaling Chelsea for the supposedly £45m rated Rayan Ait-Nouri.
At least that’s what Wolverhampton Wanderers believe they should receive from either club for the 21-year-old left-back, via The Sun.
Wolves won’t be letting Ait-Nouri go unless they get a good return though, according to the report.
With Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christiansen and potentially other defenders leaving the squad this summer, Chelsea will no doubt have to spend some money reinforcing the back line.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.