‘Chelsea decisions on Sterling, Kendry and Santos emerge ahead of Club World Cup’
Chelsea have made immediate calls on the futures of Raheem Sterling and two new first team talents as they jet off to play in the Club World Cup later this month.
The Blues are competing in the Champions League again next season after finishing fourth in the Premier League, while they are also taking part in the revamped upcoming Club World Cup, which starts on 14 June.
They are set to be busy in the transfer market this summer as a result, and Enzo Maresca has already chosen not to sign Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho on a permanent deal after his loan spell at the club last season.
The Mail have reported that Chelsea are keen on signing West Ham star Mohammed Kudus and Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens, while England international Noni Madueke could depart the club soon.
Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap is expected to join the club soon, and the Blues are set to urge him to prioritise the Club World Cup over England Under-21 duty [The Telegraph], so it is clear that they fancy their chances of a deep run in the tournament.
Sterling to be left at home ahead of Chelsea exit talks
Chelsea are planning to get their ducks in a row before the new-look tournament kicks off in the United States on 14 June, with group games against LAFC, Flamengo and Esperance de Tunis to come later this month.
Former England star Sterling, who recently completed a disappointing season-long loan at Arsenal, is not expected to be part of their travelling party according to talkSPORT, despite the fact that boss Maresca can pick a huge 35-man squad to represent the club this summer, with talks to be held over finding him an exit route.
Fellow Blues loanee Andrey Santos, who impressed in a spell with sister club Strasbourg over the last campaign, will reportedly be a part of their squad, according to the same report, and he is not considered for sale despite interest from Bayern Munich.
Brazilian starlet Kendry Paez’ immediate future with the Stamford Bridge club has been made clear too, with talkSPORT claiming that he will join up with Maresca’s squad in the USA, despite the fact it is a “realistic possibility” that he heads to Strasbourg on loan to take Santos’ place.
Chelsea are right to look to sell Sterling after his struggles since leaving Manchester City
Once upon a time, Blues outcast Sterling was one of the best wingers in the Premier League and throughout world football, but he has been unable to find his best form since departing Man City for Stamford Bridge in 2022.
His signature cost Chelsea a hefty £47.5million [Sky Sports] nearly three years ago, and they have seen diminishing returns on that investment after he failed to net double figures for league goals in his first two seasons in West London.
| Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists |
| 81 | 62 | 19 | 15 |
He was allowed to leave the club at the start of last season, with boss Maresca admitting that he was “going to struggle” to get minutes with him in charge [The Guardian], and so he joined Arsenal with the hope of revitalising his struggling career.
His spell with the title-chasing Gunners never really got off the ground, with just one goal and five assists in 29 games in all competitions as he largely remained on the bench under Mikel Arteta.
Chelsea are right to look to sell him this summer, as it is clear that he has little future at Stamford Bridge, and so the main stumbling block will likely be finding a club that is happy to take him on at 30-years-old and with seemingly little left in the tank, but plenty on his contract.