Raheem Sterling leaves Chelsea after contract terminated early before January deadline day

Raheem Sterling has left Chelsea after a mutual agreement to terminate his contract.

The former England winger has been out of favour for two seasons at Stamford Bridge, leading to a loan move to rivals Arsenal last term.

But without a move last summer, Sterling has not played a minute of first-team football since.

A statement from Chelsea 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."

The 31-year-old was part of Chelsea's so‑called "bomb squad", but has now clarified his future under new boss Liam Rosenior, who maintained he had “massive respect” for the player and “huge respect” for the person.

After 28 appearances on loan with the Gunners last term, Sterling has remained quiet while training away from the Chelsea first team through the current campaign, having failed to agree on a move away.

Sterling’s £325,000‑a‑week wages made any deal last summer difficult, with his deal set to expire in 2027.

Sterling was the first major signing of the new ownership group under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, having signed for £47.5m from Man City.

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But after a somewhat bright start with the Blues, scoring three and assisting one in his first five Premier League apperances for the club, his output was far from consistent with injuries contributing to his loss of favour.

Sterling was one of the last remaining “bomb squad” members, alongside defender Axel Disasi, and Rosenior revealed earlier this month that he was “in conversations” with the winger about his future.

“We're in conversations with Raheem at the moment about different things going on in his career,” Rosenior said, who meanwhile revealed that Diasi had returned to first-team training after a “really good meeting” with the Frenchman.

“Hopefully that will be clearer in the next couple of days.”

Sterling is now a free agent and looking to regain playing time and momentum, having won 13 trophies in his career to date.