Raheem Sterling wants clarity over his Chelsea future after being left out of the squad for Sunday's opening 2-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City.
The 29-year-old played in all six games during the club's pre-season tour of the United States but was not included in the squad for Enzo Maresca's first competitive game in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca, who described it as a technical decision to leave Sterling out, had previously described the England international as “an important player” with the expectation that he would be part of his plans despite speculation linking him with a possible Chelsea exit.
After the match, Maresca reiterated his pre-match comments, but said that due to the size of the squad some players would have to leave.
“I don't know,” Maresca said. “The only thing I can say is that it was a technical decision and that we will want to sit down next day and clarify the situation, but it is nothing more than that.”
“All the players are Chelsea players. If they are going to be Chelsea players, then we will try to use them, but not beyond a technical decision.
“I love Raheem Sterling, but I also love the 30 players we have. But there's not room for all of them. So some of them have to go.”
Sources have told ESPN that Juventus are among the clubs interested in the forward's services.
When contacted by ESPN ahead of the game for comment on Sunday's absence, Sterling's team issued the following statement: “Raheem Sterling is under contract with Chelsea Football Club for the next three years.
He returned to England two weeks earlier for individual training and has had a positive pre-season under the new manager, with whom he has developed a good working relationship.
“He is committed, as ever, to performing at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in the club's official pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would feature in this weekend's fixture in some capacity.
“As a team, we have always maintained a positive dialogue with Chelsea FC and have received assurances that Raheem will remain the future of the club, so we look forward to the situation being clarified. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem's desire to start the new season positively.”
Sterling joined Chelsea from Manchester City in July 2022 for £47.5 million (US$61.5 million) and has made 81 appearances in all competitions, scoring 19 goals.
Chelsea are in talks with Atletico Madrid to sign striker Joao Felix in a deal that, if completed, could see Conor Gallagher move to the LaLiga club in a separate £34million transaction.
