Raheem Sterling could be “first marquee signing of the new era” at Chelsea

Raheem Sterling could be the “first marquee signing of the new era” at Chelsea, according to a report in the Evening Standard today.

They note the £200m spending figures that were being bandied about not long ago, and claim that now that Romelu Lukaku’s exit has been secured, the club can focus on replacing him.

Manchester City want £60m for Sterling, which seems like a bargain after writing about the £100m Lukaku fee for weeks. If Chelsea are happy with that, it could all happen very quickly, given the winger “is said to be open to the idea of returning to London.”

Sterling isn’t a striker though, which would strongly hint that one of Chelsea’s existing winger options will leave the club to make room for him.

Even if that deal is done for £60m, that still leaves £140m of the reported budget left to spend. Things are about to get very exciting at Stamford Bridge.