Sources: Chelsea exodus begins with agreement reached for star who’ll head to Champions League club for nothing
A busy summer of transfers for Chelsea has gotten underway as one of their players has agreed to join Scottish giants Rangers on a free, TEAMtalk understands.
Chelsea need to let a host of players leave Stamford Bridge after spending over £600million in the last two transfer windows under chairman Todd Boehly. Selling plenty of first-teamers would help them to balance the books and prevent any potential sanctions from Financial Fair Play regulators.
Trimming the senior squad down would also help Mauricio Pochettino get to grips with the job at hand. The former Tottenham boss is expected to be announced as the new Chelsea head coach in the coming days.
Players including Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher and Edouard Mendy have been tipped to exit Stamford Bridge. But one of the first to go will be promising young right-back Dujon Sterling.
The 23-year-old is a product of Chelsea’s famed academy. However, he has only made two senior appearances for the Blues and has had to rely on loan spells for game time.
Sterling has spent the current campaign on loan at Stoke in the Championship, where he has played 28 times in all competitions.
Sterling’s Chelsea deal is set to expire this summer and this has forced him to evaluate his options. On Thursday, the Daily Mail revealed the full-back to be closing in on a Rangers move.
TEAMtalk has now been told that Sterling has agreed a four-year deal to join Rangers on a free transfer from Chelsea. The move will see him reunite with Rangers boss Michael Beale, whom he trained under when coming through the ranks at Chelsea.
Dujon Sterling aiming to prove Chelsea wrong
The transfer is an exciting one for the former England U20 international as he could play in the Champions League next season. By finishing second in the Scottish top flight, Rangers have booked their place in the third qualifying round of next season’s Champions League.
Sterling will be hoping Rangers make the group stage, so he can shine in the biggest club competition of all and show Chelsea why they should have given him more opportunities.
