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Chelsea have had a topsy-turvy first half of the Premier League season but remain near the summit of the table under Enzo Maresca after a busy summer
Chelsea could offload their highest earner when the January transfer window opens. Enzo Maresca's side made a host of purchases in the summer transfer market.
After a disorderly start, Chelsea have picked up the pace this Premier League season and now find themselves sitting inside the top four. Their results of late have been a mixed bag, but some pricey summer signings have buoyed them.
João Pedro has proven to be a solid acquisition up top and Estevão has quickly become a star. The likes of Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho have also provided some solid depth out wide.
However, it is expected that the frequent-spending Chelsea will dip into their pockets once again in January. The sale of their highest-earning player could pave the way for wantaway Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo to arrive at Stamford Bridge as football.london takes a look.
One of Chelsea's first transfers when the window opens up again will likely be to offload Raheem Sterling. The Englishman was close to joining Fulham on summer deadline day, but a deal collapsed.
Sterling is reportedly on a £325,000 per week deal in west London, which trumps all of his team-mates, but he has fallen entirely out of Maresca's first-team plans.
His contract does not expire until 2027 and so, as was evident over the summer, the club are keen to get his jaw-dropping wages off of their bill. His total transfer fees to date equate to a staggering £104million, as per Transfermarkt.
It is unclear where Sterling may go but he could be valuable to another Premier League club, considering he is only 31. The likes of Fulham and Crystal Palace have been mooted as potential landing spots.
Should these wages be freed up, then a move for the unsettled Mainoo could materialise. Mainoo has found minutes difficult to come by this season under Ruben Amorim at United.
Despite the promise he showed for England at Euro 2024 and with United when bagging an FA Cup-winning goal, Amorim cannot find a spot for the youngster in his starting XI.
He submitted a loan request in the summer which was denied and rumours have since persisted that he wants to depart in January. It is thought that any move would only be a loan, but Sky Sports suggests the club may consider selling if they receive an exceptional offer.
A loan deal wouldn't be too costly as Mainoo's contract is not as lucrative, but with the sale or loaning of Sterling, Chelsea may be able to put up a substantial fee for Mainoo and have been linked with him in the past. Any sum received would also act as pure profit regarding FFP for United, as Mainoo is a homegrown talent - which could tempt them into selling and in turn help plug some of their squad gaps.
Chelsea pulled off a similar move in the summer when signing Garnacho. The Argentine wished to leave Old Trafford and despite talk of a loan, Chelsea purchased him for £40m.
Ben Crawford
Ben is an NCTJ-qualified journalist and joined Reach at the beginning of 2025 to cover a range of content across national, regional, and international titles. He primarily focuses on sports content, with specific expertise in and a passion for football, darts, horse racing, snooker, cricket, Formula One, as well as American football.
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