Raheem Sterling’s transfer to Chelsea could be a done deal as the Manchester City star is set for a Stamford Bridge move, according to reports.
The 27-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Thomas Tuchel’s side.
The latest reports stated that Chelsea were preparing a new offer for the Man City forward this week.
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The winger has scored 131 goals and provided 95 assists in 339 games for Pep Guardiola’s side as he looks to end his successful spell in Manchester.
Chelsea are said to be ‘hopeful’ of being able to sign the attacker for a fee similar to the one being paid for Gabriel Jesus by Arsenal.
With Romelu Lukaku set for a switch to Inter Milan on loan this summer and Timo Werner being offered to Juventus, Chelsea are looking for attacking reinforcements.
Tuchel has reportedly held positive talks with Sterling, who remains one of the top targets for the Blues this summer.
There was said to be a good chance of Chelsea landing Sterling this summer as Tuchel targets six new players as he looks to rebuild his squad.
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Speaking on the ‘Why Always Us Podcast’, Sam Lee of the Athletic has stated that the deal for Sterling to join Chelsea is ‘done’.
The journalist discussed the transfer, as well as Jesus’ imminent move to Chelsea's rivals Arsenal.
He revealed: "I was speaking to somebody last week who reckons Jesus and Sterling are both done. We're all very cautious of that word done in the transfer industry because it could mean anything, but it certainly seems to be where that one is heading."
Therefore, Chelsea may come close to landing their first signing of the transfer window.
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Lukaku’s move to Inter Milan is expected to be finalised on Wednesday, with the Blues also looking to move on several other players.
Tuchel previously admitted his frustrations with his attackers last season, and admitted that he could look to make changes this summer.
“If we stick to the group then we will try to solve it with these players. Is it necessary to bring more offensive players around the box to create more distractions, to create more space for each other? We will ask that question," he said.
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"Can we do better in the structure? Can we push the players more? Did we rotate too much? Let’s see.
“There are a lot of options. The numbers we produce from our offensive players don’t allow us to over-perform and we need over-performance if we want to be nearer to the top two teams.
"I am not pointing fingers, I am not blaming anybody, but we need over-performance from everybody.
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"It’s not over-performance if we have only single figures in scoring and assisting.”
It looks like the German could have his first attacking option of the window and could look for further reinforcement as he wishes to close the gap at the top of the Premier League table this summer.
It remains to be seen as to who else could come through the door at Stamford Bridge in what could be one of the busiest windows in recent years for the Blues.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Transfers, Manchester City, Raheem Sterling, Football, Premier League
Nick Emms