Raheem Sterling ready to leave London as 'narrative' debunked over Chelsea outcast amid Crystal Palace, Fulham & West Ham interest

Sterling spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Arsenal as he looked to revive his flailing career. Despite high hopes he could rediscover his best form under Mikel Arteta, whom he worked with at Manchester City, Sterling managed to score only once in 28 appearances for the Gunners. Sterling was sent back to Chelsea but failed to secure another move away during the summer transfer window, instead having to sit on the sidelines for the first half of the season and train away from the first-team squad, alongside fellow outcast Axel Disasi.

An 82-time England international, Sterling has been tipped to finally leave Stamford Bridge for good before the transfer window shuts, with West Ham and Fulham the two sides most prominently linked amid claims that the winger would prefer not to uproot his family from their base around London.

However, BBC Sport's Sami Mokbel believes this is a false 'narrative' and Sterling is ready to consider offers from teams outside the English capital. Mokbel said: "Big interest and growing interest in Raheem Sterling. Obviously he's not played for a while, he's been out of the picture really at Chelsea. West Ham are interested, Fulham are interested. I think there is a narrative with Raheem Sterling that he wants to stay in London, I'm led to believe and people close to Raheem Sterling are telling me that isn't the be all and end all for him. He's not absolutely set on staying in London. He's open to every kind of deal, and every deal and move that comes his way, provided that conditions suit his family and probably most importantly his football development and the next part of his career."

Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!

While West Ham and Fulham's respective pursuits of Sterling have been reported on for several days now, the Daily Mail now claim that the 31-year-old is a 'last resort' for Crystal Palace as well if they fail to bring in other targets. The Eagles are desperate to bolster their forward line this month and have already acquired Brennan Johnson from Tottenham in a £33.5 million ($45m) deal, while Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, who is also wanted by West Ham, is under consideration amid concerns over Jean-Philippe Mateta's long-term future amid interest from Manchester United.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner, who could leave the club in the summer when his contract expires, was critical of their summer transfer business following a window which saw them only bring in reserve goalkeeper Walter Benitez, backup wing-back Borna Sosa, young defender Jaydee Canvot, and Eberechi Eze replacement Yeremy Pino. However, he has since walked back on those comments, saying: "There is nobody to blame. I was quite harsh once when I said: 'OK, maybe we should have added one or two more players given the circumstances'. But like always, I am always looking in the mirror and asking: 'Could you have done better?'

"I think I should have had a better evaluation of the whole situation that I had in the summer."

The January transfer window will roll into February this year as the customary date at the end of the month falls on a weekend. The Premier League window will close on Monday, February 2 at 19:00 (GMT).

Sterling will have until then to try and find a new club, and it will be interesting to see if suitors from the rest of England or abroad step forward now that his willingness to leave London is now public knowledge.