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News
- 27 minutes ago
Tottenham hold the key to Chelsea transfer Maresca is crying out for
Tom Weber
- Updated: 13 Dec 2025 12:01 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Tottenham will influence the future of Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling with their decision on Crystal Palace's interest in Brennan Johnson.
Sterling is the best-paid player at Chelsea, but the 31-year-old has not featured for the Blues since the final day of the 2023/24 season. In other words, the former England international has never played a competitive fixture under Enzo Maresca.
For the second consecutive summer, Sterling was the poster boy of Chelsea's 'Bomb Squad' of unwanted players. However, while the West London club managed to agree a last-minute loan with Arsenal last year, no solution was found this summer.
Current ETV
Raheem Sterling
F (R), M (RL)
Chelsea
Raheem Sterling
F (R), M (RL)
Chelsea
ETV Range
€5.9M - €8M
This means that Chelsea are paying the hefty wages of a player who primarily trains individually - sometimes late in the evening - and who has no prospects of ever playing for the club again.
The January transfer window will offer Sterling the chance to end his Stamford Bridge hell, but he is naturally in no rush to get out of his incredibly lucrative contract. In the summer, the winger made it clear that his priority is to remain in London as he does not want to relocate his family.
Crystal Palace want Sterling and Johnson
Whether a suitable offer will materialise in January remains to be seen, but Crystal Palace could offer Sterling the chance to leave Chelsea and remain in the capital.
According to CaughtOffside, the Eagles and promoted Leeds are eyeing a winter move for the ex-Liverpool and Man City attacker. However, given his age and potential cost - primarily his wages - it is doubtful that he is Palace's top target.
Indeed, Sky Sports reports that the Selhurst Park club are also targeting an ambitious swoop for Tottenham winger Brennan Johnson, who has only started six Premier League games under Thomas Frank.
The 24-year-old is likely to be much higher on Palace's shortlist than Sterling, and the latter's future could therefore hinge on whether or not Spurs agree to let Johnson go. The fact that the North London club are in the market for a winger will certainly be a boon to Palace's chances.
The Eagles are desperate to bring in January reinforcements to placate head coach Oliver Glasner, who has delivered unprecedented success with a thin squad. He is using the fact that he is out of contract in the summer to pressure chairman Steve Parish into opening his wallet.
Glasner has repeatedly spoken about the need to bolster the squad, and a failure to adequately reinforce in January could see the Austrian walk away from Selhurst Park after the season.
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