Chelsea are finalizing the details of a £45m move for Raheem Sterling, with the striker expected to go on the pre-season tour of the United States, but face disappointment in the race with Bayern Munich for Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt.
While Sterling has agreed personal terms and is excited about his move to London with the club, De Ligt is understood to currently prefer a move to Germany with the Bundesliga champions.
Bayern have stepped up their efforts to sign the 22-year-old centre-half in the past week after being encouraged by his camp.
There is a belief that German football may suit his style better at this point in his career, although they are naturally open to an offer from Chelsea. However, the London club could be let back in as Bayern are currently unwilling to pay Juve’s £60m-plus asking fee, or even come close to it. Chelsea are lining up alternative options and signing Sterling will see them make central midfield a priority.
Thomas Tuchel was shortchanged by the departures of Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen, prompting them to turn to De Ligt in the first place. Nathan Ake is also an option and Chelsea have previously looked at Alessandro Bastoni and Milan Skriniar, although the former is unlikely to leave Inter and the latter looks set for Paris Saint-Germain.
The club do need to change the squad and would listen to offers for Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi. Milan’s interest in Ziech is known, but at the moment there is a huge gap between the valuations of the two clubs.
A move for Cristiano Ronaldo is not completely out of the question, especially as Chelsea are not currently looking for a long-term number nine given the state of flux surrounding Romelu Lukaku.
The new hierarchy at Stamford Bridge are considering a deal, although Manchester United would be reluctant to sell to another English club. The situation could be influenced by the fact that he only has one year left on his contract and what happens after that in terms of his availability.
United are waiting to see if he will agree to go on the pre-season trip to Thailand on Friday, as his absence would mark the start of an attempt to make a strong move.
Sterling gives Chelsea a change in their attacking dynamic, with the deal understood to be worth £45m with a potential £10m in add-ons.
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