Aston Villa line up shock transfer for unhappy Chelsea star Sterling; forward is willing ‘take a wage cut’

Aston Villa are ‘monitoring the situation’ surrounding the future of Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling ahead of the transfer deadline, according to reports.

Sterling was left out of the Blues squad for Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Manchester City and his representatives released a statement questioning the decision, leaving his future at Stamford Bridge up in the air.

The statement read : “Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years.

“He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.

“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.

“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively.”

There are now rumours that the England international has no expectation of featuring for Chelsea this season after being told by head coach Enzo Maresca that he is not in his plans.

The Press Association claim that his exclusion against Man City came as no surprise to Sterling after he was told by Maresca following the conclusion of Friday’s training session that he is not in his plans and that he should assess his options.

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There have been rumours of interest from Serie A giants Juventus but now former CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs insists that Aston Villa are now showing surprise interest in the former Liverpool and Man City forward.

Jacobs said on the London Is Blue podcast : “So the reality for Sterling now might appear frozen out but if the window shuts and he’s still at Chelsea, it might be a slightly different situation.

“Juventus, the team that have been linked repeatedly, I’m told yet the Sterling camp haven’t had a direct approach, but it is true that they’re interested in Raheem Sterling.

“It’s also true to my knowledge that if Sterling gets the right project presented to him, he would take a wage cut. It’s not a given that wages are going to stop Sterling from leaving.

“The last thing interestingly that I’ve heard which surprised me is that Aston Villa are monitoring the situation too. Now Villa have lost Diaby and they wanted Joao Felix remember.

“I’m not sure that it will gather legs at this point. It’s very formative and Chelsea haven’t had an approach. But just keep them at the back of your mind because Villa are going to be really busy in the closing days of the window.”