Athletic: “Champions League team” want Chelsea player the club thought they’d never sell | OneFootball

The Athletic’s weekly Deal Sheet feature is out, and as always Chelsea are right at the heart of it.

The Blues have so many players coming and going, and we’re right at the busiest time of the summer, where the most deals get done.

Chelsea struggling for offers for highly paid flop

While there have been a few confirmed deals in the last week alone, from Djordje Petrovic and Noni Madueke to Caleb Wiley, there are still a few major headaches to clear away.

None is bigger than Raheem Sterling, whose massive wages and unsuccessful loan to Arsenal last season are adding to the difficulty of getting rod of him. Not only is no move close, we hadn’t heard a single whisper about an interested team – until now.

Champions League team targets struggling Sterling

Raheem Sterling at Arsenal and Chelsea (Photo by Alex Pantling, Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

The Athletic’s piece notes that “a Champions League clubs in Europe is keen to sign him,” and that “an offer of £20m will be accepted.”

That’s a relief, and hopefully can lead to a move which is good for all parties involved and helps us move on.

Still, we’re not going to get too excited about this prospect until we hear a little more about who this team is. Even a “Champions League team” is not likely to be able to afford Sterling’s wages all on their own, and we’re going to have to work really hard to pull off this transfer if we want it done permanently this summer.

Any team bidding for Sterling will know the trouble we’re in getting rid of him, and will gleefully exploit that negotiating weakness on our part. Then there’s the question of whether Sterling will accept the move, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.