- Officials at Stamford Bridge are busy fielding offers for the left-out winger
- But Blues may have to contribute to his salary if he refuses to take a pay cut
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Chelsea are set to top up Raheem Sterling’s £17million-per-season salary as they attempt to find a new club for their absent striker.
Stamford Bridge bosses are seeking offers for Sterling, who could leave the club before Friday’s deadline.
But it is understood that at least two teams who initially showed interest in the England international will demand that Chelsea contribute towards his salary, which is expected to be around £325,000-a-week, should Sterling refuse to take a pay cut.
The 29-year-old wants clarity over how Chelsea will pay the remaining three-year salary on his contract before considering his next move.
If Sterling refuses to accept a pay cut, Chelsea will be faced with the scenario of having to continue paying a significant portion of his salary to facilitate a departure.
Chelsea want to increase Raheem Sterling’s salary as they search for a new club for him
Sterling could leave before transfer deadline after being shut out by Enzo Maresca
Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Juventus are among the clubs who showed early interest in Sterling, but none of the three clubs were willing to match his salary.
There was indeed pessimism on Monday about the realistic progress of Palace and Villa in the race for Sterling.
Arsenal were not actively looking for Sterling last weekend but are fully aware of his situation. It remains to be seen whether the Gunners will change their stance before Friday night’s cut-off.
Moving Sterling and other unwanted players from Stamford Bridge before Friday’s transfer deadline could impact on the successful signing of a striker in the coming days.
Chelsea are continuing to explore their long-standing interest in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. However, the cost of landing the Nigerian star has proven prohibitive and the Blues are focusing on easing their financial burden this week.
Chelsea could save almost £28million a year in wages this week by sacking Sterling and Ben Chilwell alone.
Chelsea want to part with up to seven players before Friday.
Clubs interested in the attacker could demand the Blues contribute to his £325,000-a-week salary
Sterling wants clarity on how Chelsea plan to resolve the outstanding salary issue on his deal
The club has implemented a lower wage structure under co-owner Todd Boehly (pictured)
Whether Sterling is part of that rut remains to be seen. Interestingly, Sterling is said not to have ruled out a shock move to Manchester United, despite spending seven years at arch-rivals Manchester City.
Chelsea are open to the possibility of including Sterling in a move for Jadon Sancho, who is likely to leave United before Friday’s transfer deadline.
And Sterling wouldn’t automatically turn down a move to Old Trafford if the opportunity arose.
The 29-year-old won four Premier League titles at the Etihad Stadium, one FA Cup and five EFL Cups during his time at City.
But while he still has an affinity for his old club, Sterling is also said to be considering a move to United, a club widely regarded as one of the biggest teams in the world.
Chelsea are open to including Sterling in a move for Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho
But again, it is mainly wages that play a major role in Sancho’s departure from United this week.
His £300,000-a-week salary would not fit into Chelsea’s reduced wage structure, leaving United in a similar position to Chelsea with Sterling.
Juventus also have concrete interest in Sancho. The Italian club are reportedly already further along in signing the winger.