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Chelsea have reportedly agreed personal terms with Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling, with a deal set to be completed within 24 hours. According to The Telegraph, the 27-year-old forward has agreed terms with the Blues.
The 2020-21 Champions League winners are confident of finalizing a fee with the Premier League champions in the near future so Sterling can join Thomas Tuchel's side on their upcoming pre-season tour of the USA, which begins this weekend.
The England international, who has just 12 months remaining on his current deal, is expected to cost the west London club £45 million, which is a similar amount to the fee City sold Gabriel Jesus to rivals Arsenal.
Sterling is set to become the first signing of the new Todd Boehly era at Stamford Bridge and is expected to fill the gap left by Romelu Lukaku, who left the club to rejoin Inter Milan after a disastrous return to the two-time European champions.
Following Lukaku's departure, Sterling is set to become the highest-paid player at his new club, as he will earn a weekly wage of £300,000, which is slightly higher than what he was earning at the Etihad Stadium.
Why does Raheem Sterling wish to leave Manchester City for Chelsea?
The winger's primary motivation for wanting to join Tuchel's team is to be given more playing time, as he has found himself in and out of Pep Guardiola's side over the past 18 months and has often missed City's biggest encounters.
Sterling scored 17 times and provided nine assists in 47 appearances last term, but plenty of those opportunities came from the bench. The former Liverpool forward now wants to be the main man at a club that can still realistically compete for honors.
The England regular participated in constructive talks with Tuchel and was reportedly impressed by the German boss' plans for the future and feels his career will flourish as he heads towards his peak age.
In May, Sterling informed Manchester City's director of football, Txiki Begiristain, that as he is again not guaranteed regular first-team Premier League football next season, he is ready for a fresh challenge.
The summer arrivals of centre-forwards Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez could mean City's attacking players could see even less game time next term, but Sterling wants to be at maximum sharpness ahead of the Qatar World Cup later this year, with England among the favorites to win the competition.
