Raheem Sterling Leaves Chelsea by Mutual Agreement

Raheem Sterling officially parted ways with Chelsea (Instagram/@chelseafc).

JAKARTA - Raheem Sterling is now a free agent after the striker reached an agreement with Chelsea to end his contract.

The 31-year-old last played for the Blues in May 2024 and spent last season on loan at Arsenal after being deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.

Sterling still has 18 months remaining on the contract he signed when he joined Chelsea from Manchester City in 2022 for £47.5m, but he will now leave by mutual consent.

"Raheem Sterling has today left Chelsea Football Club by mutual consent, ending a three-and-a-half season as our player, having joined in the summer of 2022 when he was transferred from Manchester City."

"We thank Raheem for his contribution during his time as a Chelsea player and wish him the best of luck in the next stage of his career," Chelsea said in a statement.

The England winger is the first major signing of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital's era, after they acquired ownership of the club from Roman Abramovich in May 2022.

Sterling made a total of 81 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 19 goals, but the club switched to a policy of signing young players with long-term contracts.

After being sidelined under Enzo Maresca, he spent last season on loan at Arsenal where he failed to revive his career.

He has not played a competitive game for eight months - Arsenal's last game of the 2024/25 season - and has been training separately from the first-team squad at Cobham.

Following this week's talks, there is no prospect of a change in his situation under new manager Liam Rosenior.

Several clubs have inquired about a possible loan, but Sterling has stated he prefers a permanent deal to give him the stability to revive his career.

Sterling is also reluctant to take his children out of their current school to move temporarily to a new club.

Meanwhile, Chelsea want to reduce Sterling's wage bill by £325,000 a week and the club have tried in the previous transfer window to find a suitable way out for him. All parties decided that a parting now was the best way.

As a free transfer player, Sterling can negotiate directly with the club. Although his preference is to stay in London, he will consider offers from home and abroad.

West Ham had initially expressed an interest in loaning him out earlier this month, while Fulham and Crystal Palace had previously monitored Sterling.

He has the potential to be an attractive free agent with 82 international appearances and 13 major trophies to his name, in addition to being awarded an MBE (British Empire Award) in 2021 and becoming a leading voice in the anti-discrimination campaign.