Chelsea 'ready to sell three players' including Raheem Sterling to reduce staggering £338m wage bill

After guiding Chelsea to a top-four finish last season, the Blues are likely to back Enzo Maresca to rebuild the squad in his own image. 

The Blues are back in the Champions League next season, and Maresca wants to add more quality players to the ranks after signing Joao Pedro and Liam Delap. 

At the same time, Chelsea are looking to trim their bloated squad and offload some of their high-earning players who are not in the manager's long-term plans. 

Finance expert Stefan Borson told Football Insider that Raheem Sterling is one of the three players Chelsea are considering selling, along with Ben Chilwell and Joao Felix. 

Chelsea are looking to reduce their wage bill, which stood at £338m in 2023-24, and therefore, it has become necessary for them to offload some of their unwanted players. 

Sterling almost certain to leave? 

All three players spent their time away from Chelsea last season on loan - Sterling moved to Arsenal, Chilwell joined Crystal Palace, while Felix was sent on loan to AC Milan. 

Sterling failed to make an impact at Arsenal last season, having made just seven league starts. The Gunners have decided against signing him on a permanent basis, which means he may have to look for a new club in the summer. 

The four-time Premier League winner with Manchester City has been left out of the Chelsea squad for the FIFA Club World Cup, and it has become clear that he does not feature in Maresca's plans. 

The England international has a contract at Stamford Bridge until 2027, but his exit from Chelsea looks inevitable. 

Journalist Simon Phillips recently claimed that Fulham could be interested in signing the 30-year-old winger. It would be a good move for Sterling, but matching his £325,000-a-week wages could be a big obstacle for the Cottagers. 

Sterling and others could be sold to fund the move for Mohammed Kudus

Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move for West Ham United winger Mohammed Kudus, and they even tried to negotiate a player-plus-cash deal with the Hammers to sign him. 

West Ham are open to selling the Ghana international for less than his £85m release clause, and Chelsea will be in a good position to sign him if they can offload some of their unwanted players. 

Along with Sterling, Chelsea could look to offload Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Mykhaylo Mudryk, and Felix to fund the move for the West Ham winger.