Sterling’s representatives are searching for his next club after he was surprisingly banished from first-team training by new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.
The 29-year-old made 81 appearances for Chelsea in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge and his influential role at the club was expected to continue under Maresca.
But Sterling was left out of Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Manchester City, prompting the player to release a statement asking for ‘clarity’ from the club regarding his future.
It became abundantly clear a few days later that Sterling was deemed surplus to requirements by Maresca, who said in a press conference that he and Ben Chilwell were training away from the first-team and should both leave if they want to feature regularly this season.
Aston Villa and Crystal Palace immediately expressed interest in signing Sterling, who has 82 caps for England, before a shock move to Manchester United became a real possibility.
With Chelsea exploring a deal for United flop Jadon Sancho, it has been suggested that Sterling could move in the opposite direction as part of the deal.
Sterling spent seven years at Manchester United’s local rivals Manchester City but has reportedly not ruled out a surprise move to Old Trafford.
United’s stance on signing Sterling has now become more clear as the club have entered talks with Chelsea about a potential deal.
The Daily Telegraph claim United chief Dan Ashworth was in talks with Chelsea on Tuesday to discuss a ‘sensational package’ involving a Sterling-Sancho swap deal.
While Manchester United have concrete interest in signing Sterling and adding him to Erik ten Hag’s squad, the MEN say the club also have a few reservations about a deal.
Sterling’s salary could be problematic as he is believed to be on more than £300,000-a-week at Chelsea, while there is also the issue of competition with United already having at least two players on both wings.
Chilwell is another Chelsea player who was linked with a move to Manchester United earlier in the summer but the MEN claim the club do not currently plan to move for the defender.
The 27-year-old was seen as a possible option to give Ten Hag more cover and competition in the left-back position, with Luke Shaw continuing to struggle with injury and missing the start of the new season.
Chelsea boss Maresca said last week that Chilwell would ‘struggle’ for game-time having been displaced in the team by Euro 2024 winner Marc Cucurella.
‘With Chilly, he is a lovely guy but he will struggle,’ Maresca said. ‘If you define this as brutal, it’s up to you to decide. For me, it’s not brutal, it’s just honest.’
Manchester United have three points after their first two games of the season, beating Fulham 1-0 on the opening day before a 2-1 defeat to Brighton at the weekend.
Chelsea, meanwhile, lost to Manchester City in their opening fixture before bouncing back to thrash Wolves 6-2 last time out.
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