Gary Neville reveals that he was informed Raheem Sterling’s move to Chelsea was forced by the emergence of Julian Alvarez.
Speaking on the Sky Sports World Cup podcast, Neville explained that he learned from a source at Manchester City that Alvarez’s arrival was part of the reason Sterling headed to Stamford Bridge.
The Etihad was a revolving door of new signings and departures in the summer, with attacking players at the heart of the spinning cycle.
City managed to arguably land the coop of the window by sealing Erling Haaland’s signature.
They also added Alvarez to Pep Guardiola’s squad permanently, having acquired him in January but loaned him back to River Plate for the remainder of the season.
Raheem Sterling switches to Chelsea
With Guardiola’s front line already bubbling with talent before the two forwards arrived, some personnel had to be shifted on to make room for the recruits.
Gabriel Jesus set sail for Arsenal, whilst Sterling’s next destination would be for Chelsea.
A few months on from the respective deals, and Neville has now admitted he was aware of the reason why City allowed the pair to join a Premier League rival.
“I was told a year ago when City let Jesus and Sterling go – because I was quite surprised that City let both go at the same time – that this kid (Alvarez) was the reason,” said the former defender.
“Someone said that to me, that is quite close to City, that he was the reason and they didn’t want to block his path.”
It’s fair to say City have since received the better end of the transaction involving Sterling and Alvarez.
The latter has proved a fine addition to Guardiola’s side, scoring seven times across 20 matches.
Meanwhile, Sterling has struggled in his South West London settings, despite a relatively strong start to life under Thomas Tuchel.
After a World Cup of suffering, both on and off the field, the 28-year-old will be aiming to reignite his Chelsea career once club football resumes soon.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
