Chelsea are ready to sign England international Raheem Sterling this summer and are willing to pay £60 million for his services.
By this time next year, the 27-year-old will be a free agent, and talks over a new contract with Manchester City have come to a halt.
Pep Guardiola would want to keep a player who has been instrumental in City’s recent Premier League domination, but the club is unwilling to let one of its key assets leave on a free transfer next summer.
Last season, Raheem Sterling sat on the bench for Manchester City’s most important games (Picture: Getty)
Sterling has already voiced his desire to play in Europe, and while Real Madrid and Barcelona have both expressed interest in him in the past, none can match City’s asking price.
Chelsea’s new owners, on the other hand, are prepared to back Thomas Tuchel with a £200 million war chest and make big additions to a squad that last season struggled to keep up with Manchester City and Liverpool.
Sterling would be a statement signing, and the player is interested on returning to his London origins, according to The Sun, but will need guarantees from Thomas Tuchel about the role he will likely play in his plans.
Tuchel already has an abundance of attacking options in his squad, but with doubts over the futures of Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, he is likely to be able to offer Sterling the guarantee of first team football he craves.