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Raheem Sterling rules out Chelsea squad as the deal is on the verge of final agreement scheduled
The latest Aston Villa transfer news as Raheem Sterling says no to one destination in particular as he plots a route out of Chelsea
Amid the opening of transfer talks with Aston Villa, Raheem Sterling has reportedly ruled out the notion of moving to Saudi Arabia from Chelsea.
The twists and turns of the current summer window ascended to new levels when claims emerged that Villa had entered discussions for Sterling – a player who this week learned he has no future in West London. This comes after the Blues won the race for another attacker, Joao Felix, who Unai Emery was originally chasing.
Events have left the 29-year-old axed from Enzo Maresca’s squad and training alone at home with only a week remaining to make a decision over his future. According to the Daily Mail, Sterling was in the dark about the views of his manager and club for the entirety of the summer, and has at least made one major choice in the short time that has elapsed.
They state that the player has rejected the idea of transferring to Saudi Arabia, owing to two reasons. One is that Sterling desires a competitive project at the highest level possible, and the other comes down to his family being settled in London.
Even though Gulf state clubs would be able to match any transfer fee and stand as better equipped to offer his current £325k-per-week wages – something Villa for example could not do – he will simply not give into any plan Chelsea cook up to sell him off at the easiest opportunity.
From existing information, Sterling wants to leave Stamford Bridge hastily and permanently. Villa’s task will be to determine how the player could possibly fit into Emery’s plans.
There is a gap left unfilled following Moussa Diaby’s departure to Al-Ittihad and the experience of the Englishman in both the top-flight and Champions League could help. That said, his best performances would come from the left wing, where the club already possess top talents in Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rogers, amongst others.
The latter impressed playing behind Ollie Watkins in the opening weekend win over West Ham, which is the one area Emery hopes to strengthen before August 30’s deadline. Sterling has played as a supporting striker in his career, but Villa will not pursue a move unless they deem him a fit for the system.
Just a couple of seasons back, Cancelo was at the peak of his powers, and he was one of the most important players in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. But, lack of game time resulted in a rift between the Portuguese international and the Spanish manager. Things have only gone downhill for the 30-year-old since.
