Raheem Sterling has made a major decision to sell his house in Cheshire amid links of Chelsea closing in on an agreement with Manchester City for the transfer of the England international.
The 27-year-old is set to depart the Etihad this summer after Man City gave the go ahead for Sterling to leave after five years at the club.
Sterling has attracted interest from Chelsea and talks have progressed in recent days over a transfer, with an initial £45 million transfer fee being eyed by the Blues.
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Thomas Tuchel has already held talks with the winger over his role and plans for him at Stamford Bridge, and Sterling is open to heading back to the capital to join the Blues.
Sterling is currently away on holiday but will be due back next week should his Chelsea transfer be agreed, completed and confirmed.
Chelsea head off to the United States for pre-season next Saturday so they will be hoping Sterling is on the plane with his new teammates.
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No agreement has been reached between Chelsea and Man City, but Sterling’s latest move may have just hinted he is on the move.
As reported by The Mirror, Sterling has negotiated to sell his house in Cheshire to Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Sterling is expected to sign a four-year contract at Chelsea once he puts pen to paper to add to Tuchel’s attacking line.
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He could also be joined by current teammate Nathan Ake. Tuchel is a big fan of the Dutchman and talks are ongoing over the availability and possible transfer.
Up to £200 million is set to be available for Tuchel this summer, who is being backed by Todd Boehly and the new ownership group.
Defensive and attacking reinforcements are wanted, confirmed by a source last month who told The Telegraph: "The key is to basically work with Tuchel to come up with the best players that are available.
"We really want to make sure we have a good defence. We've got depth in midfield. We're not desperate for an out-and-out striker.
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“Fortunately, there's reasonable opportunities in the market right now in order to satisfy the fans' desire to be competitive.
"I think it's a combination of moves and there's five or six that we're going to look to make.”
Sterling could be the first signing of the new ownership and he is certainly putting plans in place to depart the north for a move back down south.
Topics: Raheem Sterling, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Chelsea, Manchester City
Matthew Debono