Chelsea 'confident' of sealing £35 million deal to sign Manchester City superstar: Reports

Chelsea are reportedly "confident" of sealing a £35 million deal for Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling to strengthen their attack ahead of the 2022-23 season.

The 27-year-old has 12 months left on his current deal at the Etihad Stadium and is keen on ending his seven-year stint in Manchester.

According to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the London club are "confident of closing Sterling's deal" with the reigning Premier League champions. As per the report, Sterling has intimated Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola that he's open to a new challenge.

During his time in Manchester, the winger has won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup crown and four League Cup trophies, while registering 131 goals and 95 assists. Last season, Sterling scored 17 goals and provided nine assists in 47 matches across all competitions.

With Romelu Lukaku set to return to his former club Inter Milan, the former Liverpool forward is expected to fit right into Blues' head coach Thomas Tuchel's system.

Due to his arrival, forwards like Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi are likely to leave the club due to lack of game time. The 23-year-old American is reportedly being monitored by three clubs — Liverpool, AC Milan and Juventus.

Chelsea aim for a defensive rebuild this summer

Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Chelsea are aiming to add defenders to their squad to fill the void left by the exits of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are also rumoured to depart the Premier League club soon.

Speaking to football.london last month, head coach Thomas Tuchel said:

"We are rebuilding, not improving the squad. We are rebuilding. This is always challenging, but we are up for the challenge."

He continued:

"I don't know where we are from day one. What I can promise is that I will be here – if I can promise that – I will be here with full energy and positive energy no matter what. We will still work for Chelsea, and I refuse to think of negative scenarios. We will be competitive, on which level we will see."

According to a report by The Sun, the London club are pondering a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri. Chelsea are also keeping tabs on Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, as per a report by Metro, and Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.