With the official announcements involving Kalvin Phillips' move to Manchester City and Gabriel Jesus’ move to Arsenal, it is clear to see that a new-look Sky Blues side will be in action next season.
The Englishman has been signed as a replacement for Fernandinho, who departed the club after an illustrious nine-year spell.
As for Jesus, the versatile Julian Alvarez has been signed as his successor at the Etihad Stadium.
With Erling Haaland’s £51 million arrival confirmed in May, the Norwegian’s services have been acquired to fill none other than the Sky Blues’ all-time top scorer, Sergio Agüero’s boots.
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In addition, Stefan Ortega has arrived on a free transfer as an upgrade on the Middlesbrough-bound Zack Steffen, who joined Pep Guardiola’s side in 2019.
As a number of fresh faces are set to sport sky blue for the first-time next season, another key member of the side has been linked with an exit in Raheem Sterling, as Chelsea are interested in a summer swoop for him.
With Romelu Lukaku returning to Inter Milan on a season-long loan and Hakim Ziyech set to sign for AC Milan, it has been claimed that Thomas Tuchel considers the Kingston-born winger as his number one target in a restructured attack next season.
It has also been stated that the only obstacle standing in front of the West Londoners remains the Sky Blues’ valuation.
With the two-time Champions League winners initially putting in a £25 million to sign Sterling that was eventually rejected, a fee of £50-£60 million has been touted as ideal for the sale to be sanctioned.
Considering the club’s financial muscle allows them to splash the cash for a priority target, the deadline for completing the transfer has been revealed.
As per a report by Nizaar Kinsella of the Evening Standard, Chelsea aim to finalize a deal for Raheem Sterling before they jet off for their US tour during the coming weekend.
With Thomas Tuchel’s side set to kick off proceedings against Club America less than a fortnight later, time is running out as they need to incorporate the England international into their plans for next term.
Additionally, it has been previously revealed that the ex-Liverpool wide-man was hoping to secure his long-term future at either City or Chelsea, before the preparations for pre-season went underway.
Considering the side hailing from the English capital are eyeing moves for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Matthijs de Ligt and Nathan Aké, it would not be a surprise to see this transfer drag on for the time being.
However, as things stand, it remains likely that Sterling eventually heads to Stamford Bridge.
In terms of replacements, it does not seem like the Blues would be willing to re-enter the market for winger if Sterling departs.
Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry has been linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium, but the club quickly rubbished them claims yesterday.
With the world-class options already at Guardiola's disposal, he will need to make full use of his squad in such a jam-packed World Cup year.
Topics: Manchester City, Chelsea, Raheem Sterling, Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours
Srinivas Sadhanand