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Raheem Sterling has been told he has no chance of moving to another Premier League club after Enzo Maresca said he had no future at Chelsea.
That damning message comes courtesy of Graeme Souness who is confident the England international will transfer to the Saudi Pro League.
Just two years after his big money move to Stamford Bridge, Sterling’s Chelsea career is over after Maresca exiled him from first-team training and brutally told him to leave the club.
The debacle started when the forward was surprisingly omitted from the Blues’ matchday squad against Manchester City last Sunday, with the player releasing a statement asking for ‘clarity’ on his situation.
Maresca subsequently removed him from training and explained the situation privately, but on Wednesday things dramatically escalated with the manager publicly saying that Sterling and teammate Ben Chilwell needed to find a new team, before the 29-year-old was stripped of his prized No.7 shirt.
All eyes are on where he will go with the transfer deadline just over a week away, and the former Liverpool and City star’s preference is to stay in the Premier League.
But Liverpool legend Souness has ruled out that possibility, believing that no club in England will be able to afford his wages or transfer fee.
‘Raheem Sterling’s future lies in Saudi Arabia,’ he said on the Three Up Front podcast via William Hill.
‘He’ll go there for two reasons, one of those being the kind of money he’ll get there. I don’t think any team in this country will match that.
‘I also don’t think any of the big Premier League teams would want to sign him, he’d price himself out of the market.
Raheem Sterling next club odds:
Juventus – 15/8
Any Saudi Pro League club – 5/1
Aston Villa – 5/1
Arsenal – 6/1
Napoli – 6/1
Fulham- 6/1
Brentford – 7/1
Odds courtesy of Betfair
‘The major problem for Chelsea with this business model is that when they want to get players out the door, they have to take a real hit on their value.
‘They paid nearly £50million for Sterling and they’ll get next to nothing for him. Then the buying team will ask Chelsea to contribute to his wages.’
Italy’s Juventus and Turkey’s Fenerbahce have been linked with Sterling though it seems unlikely either would be able to pay his £300,000-a-week salary which currently makes him Chelsea’s highest earner.
Though quieter this summer, the wealthy Saudi Pro League have snapped up many big name players over the last year including ex-Chelsea stars Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and N’Golo Kante.
As mentioned, Sterling is now one of many stars on the transfer list in west London, with a ‘bomb squad’ starting XI worth over £300m expected to be sold over the course of the next few days.
Meanwhile, Maresca’s side are in action on Thursday night against Servette in the Conference League before they travel to Wolves in the Premier League on Sunday.
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