Another big name could also leave Chelsea with Raheem Sterling, as uncertainty surrounds the Englishman's future under Enzo Maresca.
Sterling releases Chelsea statement after Man City squad omission
The 29-year-old's omission from Chelsea's opening Premier League matchday squad to face Man City last weekend resulted in mountains of speculation, as reports claim a potential exit for Sterling is on the cards before deadline day.
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Maresca claimed Sterling's absence from the Chelsea squad to face City was a "technical decision", but reliable media sources like The Guardian rebuff this and write that the ex-Liverpool winger is facing a very real prospect of being sold.
Indeed, it is believed Maresca has privately told Sterling to consider leaving Chelsea, and the £325,000-per-week star is personally concerned that he won't feature in the club's plans moving forward.
The player's camp released a statement, attempting to quash rumours of a possible goodbye before August 31, whilst stating that Sterling is committed to the club.
Appearances
81
Goals
19
Assists
12
Yellow cards
13
Red cards
0
Minutes played
5,321
Transfermarkt
"Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years," said a spokesperson for Sterling on his Chelsea future.
"He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.
"He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.
"As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation."
Since that message was released to the public, it has been met with criticism, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp calling it "really poor".
"That's absolute rubbish, he should do better than that," said Redknapp on Sky.
"His representatives should do better than that. That's a really poor statement. There's other players that could be putting statements out that aren't in the squad.
"He hasn't done well enough. It's your opinion, if you think you've been doing well enough in pre-season, just keep doing better. The manager's opinion is the only one that counts and if he's not going to pick you that's unlucky. You have to get back in training tomorrow morning and be the best trainer and show that you want to play. That's the only way you're going to get back in the team."
As plenty of noise surrounds Sterling, the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Ben Chilwell could also part company with Maresca in the coming 11 days.
Chilwell could leave Man City with Sterling as Man United ponder deal
Like Sterling, the latter £200,000-per-week star was left out of Maresca's squad to face City on Sunday.
Maresca holds doubts over Chilwell's suitability for the left-back role, with Marc Cucurella also fresh off the back of an impressive Euro 2024 campaign.
According to CaughtOffside, Chilwell could leave Chelsea with Sterling, and Manchester United are even considering a swoop for the Englishman as they eye up a new left-back. He is apparently another big name to watch out for in terms of exits, with Maresca seemingly unafraid to swing the axe on high-profile stars.