Chelsea tipped to only get £10m fee for Raheem Sterling amid over-inflated top flight prices
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(Credit: Imago / Getty Images)
Ben Palmer
Tue 26 August 2025 19:32, UK
Chelsea may be forced to accept a lower fee than their initial asking price for Raheem Sterling to sell the winger this summer.
That is the view of football finance expert Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider exclusively that there are a “number of factors” that need to be accounted for before the England international can be sold.
West Ham are exploring a move for Raheem Sterling this summer, whilst Fulham and Crystal Palace have also shown an interest in signing the winger.
The former Man City man has not been involved at all for Chelsea since returning from a loan spell at Arsenal this season, and is expected to move on this summer.
But whilst the Blues will be keen to sell the winger this summer, that will be easier said than done, given that the 30-year-old is earning in the region of £325,000-a-week [The Independent].
Plumley told Football Insider previously that Chelsea may help rivals Fulham to secure Raheem Sterling’s transfer by paying a portion of his salary.
But the winger’s wages are not the only financial stumbling block in the potential sale of the ex-Liverpool man.
Enzo Maresca seemingly has no plans to reintegrate Raheem Sterling into his Chelsea set-up.
(Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)
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This article contains exclusive comment from Dan Plumley, a football finance expert and senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University.
The Athletic reported on 22 July that Chelsea would be willing to accept offers of £20million for Sterling this summer.
But a month on, and with no bids forthcoming, Plumley told Football Insider exclusively that a buying club may only want to pay £10m for the winger.
He explained: “This is where you go back to the challenges within the market, because every player in the Premier League seems to be about £50 million or thereabouts nowadays.
Raheem Sterling struggled on loan at Arsenal last season.
(Credit: Imago)
“So in that regard, £20m, based on all those factors, would be a decent fee, but is somebody prepared to pay £20m?
“And actually, if you were the buying club, I think you’d want to pay a little bit lower than that.
“£10-15m feels more right as the buying club, but this is the problem in the market, it’s just every single fee gets inflated slightly for various reasons.
“It probably will need a figure like that, but I’m just not so sure a club would commit to that kind of figure.
“And that’s when you’re into the negotiation piece of, what is a club prepared to pay for that player?
“There’s lots of factors that go into that mix.”
Whilst the Blues may not get the full asking price they want for Sterling, they have received a boost in their pursuit of a new winger.
Pete O’Rourke told Football Insider that Man United are slashing the price for their “bomb squad” members.
Alejandro Garnacho is a target for Chelsea this summer.