With Maresca disclosing that Sterling is not in his game plan for the 2024/25 season, it seems Sterling's days at Stamford Bridge may be numbered. The forward found himself without his number seven jersey this term and has been sidelined from the main squad, receiving signals that his time at Chelsea could be over.
During a pre-season briefing, Maresca made his stance clear by expressing: "I'm not saying Raheem is not a good player but I prefer a different kind of winger." Sterling's absence from the bench in Chelsea's opening games, regardless of the arrival of talents like Pedro Neto and Joao Felix and the presence of regulars such as Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku, speaks volumes about his current situation, reports the Mirror.
Now, with speculation mounting and the transfer window ticking down, Ten Hag might just invite Sterling to switch allegiances from blue to red Manchester. Talks of a potential exchange involving Sterling and Manchester United's Jadon Sancho, who has similarly found himself out of Ten Hag's plans, have surfaced as both players seem poised for fresh starts.
De Bruyne, a former teammate of Raheem Sterling, has previously shared his initial misconceptions about the England star. In an article for The Players' Tribune, De Bruyne admitted: "I am a brutally honest person. So I will let you in on a little secret. Before I came to Manchester City, I didn't really know what to make of this Raheem Sterling guy. I had never met him, and from what I'd read about him in the English press, I thought he was going to be a very different character. I thought...well...I didn't think he'd be a bad guy, really.
"But the tabloids were always claiming that he was arrogant. So I guess I thought he'd be ... what do the English call it? A bit of a d***head, maybe? Then I got to City and I actually met Raheem, and we'd talk a bit after training, and I thought, 'wait, this guy seems really cool? What's the story here?'
Sterling hasn't settled at Chelsea (Image: Getty)
"Truthfully, I don't have many close friends - inside or outside of football. It takes me a really long time to open up to people. But over time, I got closer to Raheem, because our sons were born around the same time, so they would always play together. I really got to know Raheem, and I recognised what a smart and genuine person he is. He couldn't be more different from what the tabloids were saying. This is the real truth: Raheem is one of the nicest, most humble guys I've met in football."
Sterling's potential move to Manchester United is unlikely to disrupt the squad harmony at Old Trafford, with Ten Hag having cleared out players who may have caused friction, including Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, and Edinson Cavani. Sancho's turbulent time under Ten Hag saw him loaned out to Borussia Dortmund for the second half of the 2023/24 season; however, the issue appears to be patched up.
Despite this, Sancho might still eye a transfer as the summer window comes to a close this Friday, August 30. According to The Telegraph, there have been discussions between Dan Ashworth, United's sporting director, and Chelsea officials about a potential swap deal with Sterling.
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Still, any exit for Sancho must meet United's conditions. Reflecting on his options, Ten Hag acknowledged before the recent 2-1 loss to Brighton: "He's here, but I have a choice to make." He added: "We had some issues, but we need a full squad. He's one of them and he has to compete for his position and game to game we will have a look. But in the squad every position we need double because it's going to be a long season."
