Chelsea announces England star leaves club by mutual agreement just hours before key Champions League clash

Ed Griffiths

By Ed Griffiths


Published: 28/01/2026

- 16:45

Updated: 28/01/2026

- 17:52

Raheem Sterling initially joined in a £50million deal from Man City in the summer of 2022

Raheem Sterling has left Chelsea football club after three-and-a-half years.

The England international made 81 appearances for the side across all competitions, contributing 19 goals and 15 assists.


The forward, who was the club's highest-paid player, had been excluded from the first-team squad.

He has not played for the Blues since May 2024 and spent last season on loan at Arsenal.

Sterling arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2022 as the first major signing following the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital takeover, joining from Manchester City for £47.5million.

It is understood the 31-year-old has waived much of what was owed of the £325,000-a-week contract.

His final outing came last May against Bournemouth, when he doubled Chelsea's lead with a left-footed finish through goalkeeper Neto's legs after bamboozling defender Max Aarons on the left flank.

Raheem Sterling has made 82 appearances for the England national football team, scoring 20 goals and providing 27 assists.

Liam Rosenior

Chelsea has announced that Raheem Sterling has left by mutual agreement

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GETTY

He featured regularly under Gareth Southgate in major tournaments.

Sterling made his senior debut for the England national team on November 14, 2012, in a friendly match against Sweden at the age of 17.

Two years later, he travelled with the side to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The former Manchester City and Arsenal forward also featured in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 competition in Qatar, which was his last appearance, when he was called upon as a substitute in the quarter-final defeat to France.

Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling made 81 appearances for the side across all competitions

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GETTY

He is unlikely to feature under Thomas Tuchel at the 2026 World Cup.

Chelsea released a statement confirming the departure.

It read: "Raheem Sterling has today departed Chelsea Football Club by mutual agreement, bringing to an end three-and-a-half seasons as our player, having signed in the summer of 2022 when he was transferred from Manchester City.

"We thank Raheem for the contribution he made while a Chelsea player and wish him well for the next stage in his career."

Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling has made 82 appearances for the England national football team, scoring 20 goals and providing 27 assists

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GETTY

Sterling has spent his exile as part of Chelsea's so-called bomb squad, a group of players deemed surplus to requirements who trained separately from the first team under former manager Enzo Maresca.

Fellow outcasts have previously included Axel Disasi, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu and Alfie Gilchrist, though Disasi has since been welcomed back into the fold by Rosenior.

Chelsea will now face Napoli today in their final league stage match in the Champions League.

The fixture represents a stark milestone: the 100th match Chelsea have contested without Sterling's involvement.