Sterling ends underwhelming Chelsea stint by mutual consent

Raheem Sterling has left Chelsea by mutual consent after the two parties agreed to end his contract early.

Sterling, who joined the Blues from Manchester City in a reported £47.5m deal in 2022, had 18 months remaining on his deal at Stamford Bridge.

The 31-year-old made 81 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea, 62 of which were starts, and scored 19 times as well as providing 12 assists for his team-mates.

Sterling spent the 2024-25 campaign on loan with Arsenal but failed to make an impact under Mikel Arteta and was subsequently sent back to Chelsea.

However, the former England international was deemed surplus to requirements under Enzo Maresca and was completely exiled from the first-team squad.

A club statement read: “Raheem Sterling has today departed Chelsea Football Club by mutual agreement, bringing to an end three-and-a-half seasons as our player, having signed in the summer of 2022 when he was transferred from Manchester City.

“We thank Raheem for the contribution he made while a Chelsea player and wish him well for the next stage in his career.”

Raheem Sterling has today departed Chelsea FC by mutual agreement.

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 28, 2026

He had been training separately with Chelsea’s so-called “bomb squad” after failing to secure a move during the summer transfer window.

Several clubs, including Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen, explored a deal for Sterling, while a potential switch to Fulham did not materialise.