Chelsea are confident that they could sign Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling this summer while also maintaining interest in soon-to-be free agent Ousmane Dembele, according to DiMarzio.com’s Nathan Gissing.
Blues manager Thomas Tuchel is said to be a big fan of Sterling, whose contract at the Etihad Stadium expires in 2023.
The 27-year-old finished last season with 13 goals and five assists in the Premier League title-winning campaign under Pep Guardiola, and was Manchester City’s second-highest goalscorer after Kevin de Bruyne.
The report claims that Chelsea are working on a potential deal worth around £35million for the England international.
Sterling’s being originally from London could also help make the move to Stamford Bridge more appealing to the player, the report added.
The former Liverpool star, however, is reportedly not the only winger on Chelsea’s radar.
The Blues are reportedly keeping an eye on Dembele, who is in the final days of his contract at Barcelona.
However, while bringing in Dembele on a free transfer is an attractive prospect, Chelsea are said to have their concerns over the winger’s injury records.
Gissing claims that as things stand, Chelsea are more interested in signing Sterling than the France international, although it does not rule out the club’s making their move to sign the latter.
Unlike Dembele, who mostly plays on the right, Sterling is arguably a more versatile player, having played in various attacking positions at Manchester City.
Sterling is clearly more of a goalscorer than a creator, however, while Dembele’s 13 assists in just 15 starts in La Liga last season shows his exceptional playmaking ability.
Update: Gissing added that the reported £35m transfer fee was according to Italian transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio himself.
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