Raheem Sterling is said to have turned down one of the most lucrative footballing contracts ever seen.
Sterling made a deadline day loan move from Chelsea to Arsenal after he was cast aside by new manager Enzo Maresca.
The 29-year-old has won four Premier League titles but chose to turn down advances that would have seen him become one of the highest-paid footballers in the world.
Advert
Mirror Sport reports suggest the Three Lions international was offered £650,000-a-week offer to join an unnamed club in Saudi Arabia.
Having rejected the advances, Sterling is said to have turned down the bumper deal given his own long-term ambitions to make it back into the England set-up ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
“For sure he is one of our important players, the important thing is we give him minutes and he is doing well," Maresca bizarrely admitted prior to his U-turn on Sterling.
The Blues forward played in every pre-season outing for the Blues this summer before the Chelsea manager decided he was no longer part of his plans.
"It’s an unbelievable feeling," he told Arsenal's media channels. "It’s really exciting. I’m buzzing.
"It’s one where we kind of left it late but it’s one I was hoping for.
"Looking at everything, I’m just, like, ‘This is a perfect fit for me’, and I’m super happy that we got it over the line."
Despite not being registered in time to face Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday, the former Liverpool star admitted conversations with Edu Gaspar, the club's sporting director, were crucial in his decision.
"I spoke with Edu and I said that it’s something you can see from the outside, you can see the real togetherness from Mikel’s time here and you see the journey that the boys are on, and you can see the hunger, and I keep saying again, the togetherness is something I’m looking to be a part of."
Topics: Arsenal, Raheem Sterling, Chelsea
Matthew Holt