Raheem Sterling tipped to complete shock Man Utd transfer

Cameron Smith

• 28 Dec 2025 03:34 CST
• 3 min read

News

Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling has been tipped to join Manchester United in 2026 amid his current struggles at Stamford Bridge.

The former England international was frozen out following the appointment of Enzo Maresca last summer and after an unsuccessful loan stint at Arsenal in 2024-25, he returned to west London in July.

Current ETV

Raheem Sterling 

F (R), M (RL)

Chelsea

Raheem Sterling 

F (R), M (RL)

Chelsea

€7M

ETV Range

€5.9M - €8M

View full profile

Since his move back to Chelsea, Sterling was immediately placed in the club’s ‘Bomb Squad’ and he has been forced to train alone for the past few months.

Proposed summer transfers to Saudi Arabia and Turkey failed to materialise due to Sterling’s desire to stay close to his family in London, although it’s expected that he will leave Stamford Bridge during the upcoming January transfer window after failing to play a single minute so far this campaign.

Crystal Palace and Leeds United have both been touted as possible destinations for Sterling in recent weeks, but former Liverpool and Aston Villa forward Dean Saunders believes the 31-year-old could still play for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League.

Raheem Sterling to Man Utd?

“He's [Sterling] 31, he should be at the height of his powers, at the height of his career. That's when you're at your prime,” Saunders told talkSPORT.

“He's training on his own at Chelsea, is he? I don't even know where he is now. He went to Arsenal and didn't play many games, which is fair enough with the players they've got.

“But if I were a club now, any team in the Premier League, I would sign Raheem Sterling.

“If you haven't got to pay a fee for him, and you can get his wages sort of halved or whatever, or they pay most of his wages to give you a really good deal, he is definitely good enough to play in the Premier League.”

Saunders added: “If you're looking to strengthen your team, I mean, he could play anywhere, couldn't he? He could play for Man Utd.

“When he's at his peak, he could get in Liverpool's team, obviously, he played for them.

“But I would say Man Utd, Spurs, he could get in any of the teams that are just below the top, trying to win the league. The teams that are trying to win the league, he could get in their squads.”

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