Chelsea are reportedly prepared to consider offers for Raheem Sterling this summer, should Crystal Palace's Michael Olise arrive at Stamford Bridge.
Since making the high-profile switch from Manchester City to West London during the summer of 2022, the 29-year-old has been criticised for his performances and attacking output alike.
That being said, Sterling provided a respectable tally of 12 goal contributions in the 2023-24 Premier League term (eight goals and four assists) as Chelsea rallied in the final stages of the campaign to finish sixth.
Although initially enough for Europa League football, Manchester United's win in the FA Cup final over Pep Guardiola's Citizens bumped the Blues down to Europa Conference League action in the autumn.
Despite being a regular for England over the past decade, Sterling was not included in Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad for this summer's Euro 2024 in Germany.
© Reuters
Chelsea to consider offers for Sterling?
With international football possibly behind Sterling, there is a particular emphasis on his club future as the forward enters the latter stages of his career.
According to Football Insider, Chelsea are preparing to consider offers for the 29-year-old should they be able to secure the services of Crystal Palace's Olise.
There is an understanding that another arrival in attacking areas at Stamford Bridge would push Sterling further down the pecking order in West London, meaning that a departure could be on the cards.
It is believed that the Blues have entered discussions with Palace over a summer swoop for Olise, who has impressed massively this season under the tutelage of Oliver Glasner at Selhurst Park.
It has even been claimed that the France Under-21 international and Chelsea have agreed to personal terms, although a complex release clause is holding up the deal.
© Reuters
Olise to send shockwaves through Stamford Bridge
Identified as a primary attacking target this summer, Chelsea are exploring all possible avenues as they look to secure the services of Olise.
As mentioned, the Blues are not afraid of bringing Sterling's stay in West London to an end in order to sign a player who provided 16 goal contributions in just 19 Premier League matches during 2023-24.
On top of this, it has been reported that Enzo Maresca's troops are willing to offer Palace both Noni Madueke and Trevoh Chalobah in a players-plus-cash deal for Olise.
Featuring in just 13 league matches this term, academy graduate Chalobah was on the fringes of the first-team thinking under Mauricio Pochettino and is seeking regular game time elsewhere.
Carter White
