‘Far from luxurious’ future for Raheem Sterling in Chelsea ‘bomb squad’ as reasons for Juventus & Bayer Leverkusen transfer snubs are explained

The experienced England international has tumbled down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge. He was allowed to spend the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Arsenal, but did not do enough there - failing to score a Premier League goal - in order to earn a permanent switch.

Chelsea were open to offers in the latest window, but Sterling knocked all advances back. The 30-year-old forward and his representatives left it with the Blues to sound out potential suitors and bring interested parties to the table.

BBC Sport reports that “from Chelsea's perspective, sources claim they brought Champions League sides Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus to the table. Although he was interested, Sterling's desire to remain close to his family took precedence”. They add that “Fulham, Crystal Palace and West Ham were among the London clubs sounded out, but those options never materialised”.

Ex-Manchester City star Sterling is reluctant to uproot his family again. A severance package of £30 million ($40m) will be required in order to cancel his contract, with the BBC reporting that “there now appears to be a reluctance from the London club to pay Sterling up. He appears reluctant to give Chelsea an easy route out of their agreement”.

Said situation is doing nobody any favours. Sterling now finds himself in the infamous “bomb squad”, alongside other exiled senior stars, and life there is said to be “far from luxurious - with limited use of first-team facilities, it is a lonely existence”.

Sterling will reportedly wait until after the international break - as his dreams of representing England at the 2026 World Cup take a serious hit - before reassessing his options, with it possible that he could be on the move in the January window of 2026.