Chelsea offer Sterling to three PL clubs as Romano confirms time at Blues is ‘over’; Lukaku exit ‘very close’

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that talks between Chelsea and Raheem Sterling will take place “in the next days with several possibilities”.

New Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca made it clear on Wednesday that both Sterling and his Blues team-mate Ben Chilwell are out of his plans this season.

“They (Chilwell and Sterling) are in this moment training apart,” Maresca said. “The situation with both of them is quite clear.

“We have a big squad and for me it’s impossible give all of them minutes. If they are looking for minutes, probably it is better to leave.”

And Romano has brought an update on a number of things going on at Stamford Bridge, including Sterling’s future and Romelu Lukaku’s imminent move away from Chelsea.

Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column : “We’re heading towards the end of the window and many things are happening at Chelsea as always, with the Blues now very busy on outgoings. As we know, Conor Gallagher has been announced as a new Atletico Madrid player, with Joao Felix heading in the opposite direction, it’s all official now.

“As well as that, Armando Broja to Ipswich Town is done – it’s a loan with an obligation to buy clause, which is there in case Ipswich manage to avoid relegation from the Premier League this season. The overall package is worth more than £30m, from what I’m hearing, so this is the agreement, with Broja saying yes to the move and having his medical with the club yesterday.

“I’m also told that Chelsea are now very close to selling Romelu Lukaku. The agreement is very close with Napoli, and all parties now believe that the deal will be done. Lukaku has already agreed a three-year contract with Napoli, whose director will be in London to close the deal. There will be a new round of talks in London very soon this week, and the expectation is for Lukaku to become a Napoli player.

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“We also know that Chelsea have a lot of work to do to clarify the situations of other players, such as Raheem Sterling, Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemeka. Sterling has been linked with the likes of Juventus and Aston Villa, but despite rumours, there are no specific clubs to mention yet, but Sterling’s camp is exploring options as he will leave Chelsea.

“The decision is clear after talking to Maresca, so Sterling is leaving and it’s over with Chelsea. Negotiations will follow in the next days with several possibilities.”

And now TBR Football insists that West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Newcastle are all ‘potential destinations’ for Sterling and have been ‘offered’ the England international by Chelsea.

The website also ‘confirm that Sterling’s people are making almost every Premier League club aware of his availability’ as he looks for a quick exit before the transfer deadline.