Raheem Sterling to Fulham?! Cottagers consider eye-catching January move for Chelsea misfit

In a new report from TEAMtalk, Fulham are believed to be plotting a move for Sterling, who - alongside defender Axel Disasi and striker David Datro Fofana - is among a group of unwanted players who are currently training away from the Chelsea first team squad.

The report claims Chelsea are prepared to cover a huge part of Sterling’s reported £325,000-a-week wages in an attempt to push through his exit in the winter transfer window.

However, the report concludes by saying Fulham are prioritising a second bid for PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi after The Athletic previously revealed the club’s £26 million (€29.7m/$34.9m) opening offer was rejected earlier this week.

USMNT forward Pepi, 22, has been in fine form for Eredivisie leaders PSV this season, scoring 10 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions. He also netted 17 times in 28 games in 2024-25.

After being told he has no future at Chelsea by manager Maresca in the summer, the BBC reported Fulham had expressed their interest in signing Sterling, whose contract expires in June 2027.

The report claimed former Liverpool forward Sterling would prefer to remain in London with his family, with his son Thiago having joined Arsenal’s youth academy in the summer.

Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen and Serie A giants Juventus and Napoli were also credited with an interest in the 31-year-old, with all three clubs competing in this season’s Champions League.

Sterling - who has won 82 caps for England, scoring 20 goals - joined Chelsea from Manchester City in a £50m (€57.3m/$67.2m) deal in July 2022.

After Sterling missed out on securing a summer move away, Chelsea boss Maresca dismissed sympathy for Sterling in September, saying his father has a harder life as a fisherman than his club's so-called ‘bomb squad' players.

The Italian said: “I've been in Raheem's and Axel's situation as a player. For sure, I know it is not the best feeling for a player. For different reasons, the situation is the situation at the moment, but I know the club is giving them the situation to work in the right way.

“My father is 75 years old and for 50 years he's been a fisherman, working from two o'clock in the morning till 10 o'clock in the morning. This is a hard life - not the way a player works.

“When no solution is found, you give the player all the tools to train and do anything, but if you are not in the squad, you are not in the squad. It's not about Chelsea, it is about any club in the world.”

Meanwhile, after a difficult start to the season, Fulham have turned a corner in recent weeks, with Marco Silva’s side having won five of their last seven Premier League games.

The west Londoners have secured victories over Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley, Nottingham Forest and West Ham, while they also found the back of the net in their narrow losses against Manchester City and Crystal Palace.

However, despite Fulham rising to 12th in the table, just four points behind fifth-placed Chelsea, Silva insists the recent upturn in form will not force the club to rethink their transfer strategy in January.

When asked about the fixture congestion which every Premier League club is battling against at the moment, the Portuguese said: “Big challenge. Incredible, the load of the games is very difficult. After the Palace games, it's almost impossible to prepare and recover players. The risk is big big to lose players. We have a possible plan on paper for the load of the players.

“The last few results for us doesn't change what we need to do in the window. We all agree (the staff and the hierarchy) what we need. Nothings changed, we have full ambition this season. It's clear what we need, the board is trying to get those positions we need. 

“It's unfair to start talking about what positions we need. The more quality & competition you have, the better you train, the better chance you have of being successful.”

Fulham are next in action when they travel to Oliver Glasner’s Palace on New Year’s Day, while Chelsea - who drew 2-2 with Bournemouth on Tuesday - head to Pep Guardiola’s Man City on Sunday.

Silva’s Fulham and Maresca’s Chelsea will meet in the league next Wednesday (7 January) at Craven Cottage.