Chelsea handed new Raheem Sterling problem as £25m statement made

Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson believes Chelsea may have to pay £25 million to terminate Raheem Sterling's contract.

The 30-year-old winger had a stint at Arsenal last season on loan after Blues boss Enzo Maresca made it clear that Sterling was surplus to requirements. He made 17 appearances for the Gunners in the Premier League, contributing just two assists for Mikel Arteta's side.

Sterling was largely used as a substitute, averaging less than 30 minutes per game, but the England international still managed to attract attention from top European clubs, despite his lacklustre spell in north London. However, he failed to secure a move away from Chelsea before the summer transfer window closed for most of Europe's top clubs.

And Borson has been asked about the chances of Sterling's contract at Stamford Bridge, which expires in 2027, being terminated. "Look, I think that’s the most likely scenario, but we’re not close to the conversation," he told Football Insider.

"They might just say, well, we’ll take a look at it in January. But it’s hard to see why it would be better in January. I guess somebody might be in desperate need of a player, but he sort of said he doesn’t want to move outside of London.

"I think they’ll try and do a deal. I think they’ll try and negotiate a settlement for his contracts and allow him to then go free somewhere. I don’t know what it’s going to be, maybe £20-25m.

"It’s an amazing amount of money that’s owed to him. He’s got two years at let’s say £300,000-£325,000-a-week.

"The contract’s worth something like £40m, probably, with all of the signing on, with everything that’s left, with a player that’s saying I don’t want to leave, you want me to leave, he’s probably got something like £40m left in his contract.

"So, what’s the negotiation on a £40m liability over two years? You get discount for paying it all in one go upfront, and the player's allowed to go off and earn money elsewhere. But it feels like £25m at least really, doesn’t it?"

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