Raheem Sterling: Aston Villa & Crystal Palace emerge as surprise suitors
- Chelsea trying to offload Raheem Sterling before transfer deadline
- Aston Villa open talks in search for Moussa Diaby replacement
- Crystal Palace also interested after selling Michael Olise
By Sean Walsh
Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are among the teams keen on signing Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling before the transfer window shuts, reports have claimed.
Sterling played a prominent role for the Blues in pre-season under new head coach Enzo Maresca, but was surprisingly left out of their matchday squad to face Manchester City for their first Premier League game of the new campaign.
The player's camp swiftly released a statement claiming they would seek clarity with the club over his future. Since then, Chelsea have reassigned Sterling's squad number to new signing Pedro Neto, and Maresca has said he should try to find a new team in the last days of the window.
90min revealed earlier this week that Villa had held internal discussions about the possibility of signing Sterling, with teammate Trevoh Chalobah also on their radar. Now, The Times add that Unai Emery's side have initiated talks with Chelsea.
Villa, who are preparing for their first UEFA Champions League campaign since the competition was rebranded from the European Cup, are looking for a replacement for Moussa Diaby after his exit to Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad. They had hoped to sign Joao Felix, but he was sold by Atletico Madrid to Chelsea instead.
Meanwhile, the Evening Standard report that Sterling has a potential suitor from south of the River Thames, with Palace another team to 'express an interest'.
Palace sold star forward Michael Olise to Bayern Munich this summer, though it is unlikely they would be able to afford Sterling's considerable wage packet, which is believed to be worth £300,000-a-week. In order to acquire Sterling, they would need Chelsea to offset at least a sizeable portion of that salary.
However, the 29-year-old could be mindful to stay in London after resettling in the capital following his 2022 move from Manchester City.
Sterling is also not thought to be considering offers from Saudi Arabia and would prefer to remain in the Premier League.
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